What a Great Start to the Week

I just launched a new item in my Etsy shop -- upcycled sugar molds with pretty and fun tags. I'm telling y'all, these are some of my favorite things on the planet. The wood of an old sugar mold is beautiful and full of sweet history. The molds are from Mexico, South America and the southwest of the United States, as molding for storage of sugars and molasses. They are deep and slightly angled, to form a subtle cone.

Today we can re-purpose them in all kinds of ways: as paintbrush, pen or utensil holders. Or you can put small ramekins of succulents or votive candle holders in them. If you place small cups inside, you can store even small things like paper clips and keys.

Sugar molds are the type of find you discover at an antique mall and say, "I must have this in my life". And from there, you can find a way to make it useful, as well as pretty. Some people paint them with contemporary stripes and circles -- I've even seen silhouettes of utensils painted on them. I like to go a different route -- I make tags that say something funny in a pretty font and attach them with a ribbon. I like the contrast of elegance and rustic, utilitarian and historical, classy and sassy.

These are some of the best things I make and sell. In part, because until I ship them, they make my house look pretty.