Storing All That Pocket Change ~ Creating A Faux Demijohn

http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/I am pretty certain that we are not the only ones that have a big jar or vessel we throw our pocket change in.  Am I right?  

Admittedly, I will try to get rid of every penny I can.  Even when I send one of the kids into the store to pick something up, I always add four pennies so they'll have enough to make change with!  "Use the pennies", I say.  Ridiculous I know, but I do it anyway. Sometimes I try to get rid of a dime's worth of pennies in one stop. "Embarrassing" is what Shawn and the kids say.  I think it's part of my OCD.  I feel I HAVE to use the pennies up! It drives Shawn crazy because he never uses pennies.  He just pulls out a bill to pay and I stop him by saying, "wait, I've got the pennies!".  He pretends not to hear me and so it is, we have lots of loose change...much more than even I can get rid of in one trip.  

Years ago the kids and I had filled a gallon sized jar with coins that they would deposit into their savings accounts.  I used to take Michael and Ethan to a bank at 21st and Utica  that had a train built under the floor which was covered by a shatter-proof glass top so you could watch it go around the track.  The boys loved it.  One such trip to the bank, I put the jar full of change into the back seat, laying it on its side.  Boy, was it heavy!  I made a stop before going to the bank and opened the back door to have the entire jar roll out and shatter all over the pavement.  There must have been thousands of coins in there.  Now, that was embarrassing, just not embarrassing enough for me to leave it there!  I picked up every single penny, nickel, dime and quarter plus the broken glass.  If I remember correctly it totaled over $200 in change!

Shawn sometimes uses this red wine to cook with.  It's available in a large, gallon sized jar.

 

He washed an empty bottle out and began accumulating change in it.  This was fine with me, except that I thought it was a little ugly having a big wine jar of loose change sitting in our kitchen.

 I decided to make a look alike demijohn.  No way I'm paying $150 for the real deal.  Then there would be no pocket change!

First I began by weaving some hemp around the spout of the bottle.

 I bought this dual handled, French-ey looking basket with a 'Fleurs' tag attached on clearance at Tuesday Morning for a few dollars.  I found a couple of baskets at thrift stores for a quarter that would work to but I liked the metal tag on this one best.  Some of you crafty people could easily make a similar tag and further cut the cost of this project.

I simply placed the bottle full of change inside the basket.

What a quick fix!

I wound up wrapping a little more of the hemp around the bottle and handle and topped it with my little climbing bunny.  The bunny is made to rest on the edge of a potted plant.  I've used these on lamps, vases, etc.  So cute!

This project cost about $6 and the majority of the expense was the basket, which I mentioned you could get one at a thrift shop for next to nothing.  Oh, guess I forgot the cost of the wine...but hey, that's consumable so it doesn't count!

If you've not entered my giveaway for the custom porcelain enamel house sign, you can do so HERE.

 



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