More than just a muffin tin.

These days you hear a lot of talk about people "repurposing" things they already have in an effort to be a little greener. So here is a way to repurpose your a muffin tin into a centerpeice.

I promise I am not getting all Martha Stewart on you. BUT good ideas are meant to be shared, and I think this one is cute. A mentor mom at Mom's and Beyond (a group I go to on Tuesday mornings) shared this.

Since I was a little sad that I won't be able to decorate the house for Christmas this year, I decided to give this a try. All you do is grab an old muffin tin, the more beat up and worn the better. Mine happens to be nasty, so it was perfect. Then you fill it with whatever your heart desires and stick some candles in there. You could use twelve candles or make a random pattern and use less. It's festive in a rustic sort of way:

I used a bag of cranberries, took greenery from the bush in the front yard, and Skylar and I picked up these pine cones while we were out walking. I think some cinnamon sticks would have been nice, but I didn't have any. I put some glass gems that I had (the kind you find in an aquarium or the bottom of a vase) as a first layer and then covered them with cranberries to make it look fuller without buying two bags.

Total cost for 6 candles and a bag of cranberries was under $3. The possibilities are endless--you could use dried beans, sand, shells, dried flowers, or make it seasonal and do Red hots or conversation hearts for valentine's day, Indian corn, acorns, or leaves for Thanksgiving, jelly beans for Easter, etc.

(Side note: You can get a pack of 24 votives at Micheal's for $6 and print off a 40% coupon available on the website bringing it down to $3.60. I'm just here to help.)

I like that it doesn't have to be moved because we can see over it while we eat! A little ambiance is always a good thing. Or as Martha would say, it's a very good thing. (Sorry, I think I just threw up a little in the back of my throat.)

Oh, but I'm not done yet. There's more. Since we're on the subject of muffin tins.....

You should try feeding you toddler from a mini-muffin tin. This idea came to me a few months ago when I was desperate to get Skylar to eat something and I was trying to make it fun. (I'm sure it's not original, mom's everywhere may be doing this and I just never knew.) I put her lunch in the various muffin tin cups and let her sit somewhere special, like the couch. It makes a nice little tray so it stays pretty neat, and she spends a good 45 minutes moving her food around in the various compartments while she eats it, which means I'm able to get some things done.

It works so well that we have a muffin tin picnic a few times a month now. See how excited she gets when she sees it?

Okay, now I'm done.