Thank you SO much for all your answers everyone! I did go to Michael's yesterday and bought 4 packages of the small stained glass squares. They were $3.99 per package. I will use those for my first project but I want to find a good online source for more. Luna, I will definitely check out the delphiglass site. And I need to see if there's a stained glass store in the area. The 2 pieces on my immediate to do list I'd really like to use stained glass on, or something equally as thin. Even the little tiles you can get at Michael's are the same thickness as a regular tile. I have a whole big tub of thinset from my backsplash and a huge bag of gray grout. I also have caulks in both white and clear, some for interior or exterior use. I have tile nippers as well, would those work okay for the stained glass? I'll try it today. We live in a somewhat rural area and it takes me about 20 minutes to get into the town I visit most frequently. And with gas prices and my gas guzzling Wrangler, I'm trying to cut back on how often I go. Our local Freecycle is small...really small. But the one in Charlotte is much busier. And of course, Charlotte is like an hour from me so unless someone wants to meet me somewhere, it would probably be more cost effective to just find the item locally at a TS or YS. I AM getting an old rusty tricycle tommorrow (I hope) from someone on our smaller local Freecycle! YEAH!!! Can't wait to put it out in the garden loaded down with baskets of flowers! Has anyone else found that gas and food prices are eating into their crafting money? Good grief! My husband makes good money, we have 3 nice cars, a nice house, take nice vacations, gutted and did a complete remodel on our kitchen (and it was a new kitchen just 6 years ago), but these food and gas prices are really starting to hurt! And it's only going to get worse! I don't mind cutting back on the quality of what I eat (although I do mind for my kids) but cut into my craft money and I'm going to whine!;0) Thanks again everyone. You guys are so nice! And sorry about the long post and my ranting about the economy! Robin

Thanks everyone. I might adjust the windchime some and remove the beads that sit up on top of the star, not sure you can see that from the picture but they look kind of odd up there. Patti, I love the idea of using a teacup. Did you have any trouble drilling holes in it or did you just tie string to the handle? I think using a teacup as the top hanger part (where my star tealight is) would be awesome. But I'm kind of afraid to drill holes in one. Maybe a thick one like a Fiestaware cup, I have a ton of those we don't use (too small for coffee and we're not hot tea drinkers). This is at least the 2nd year that we've had birds in the propane tank. I don't see the birds though because it's under my deck and I can't see it from inside the house. My water spigot is right next to the tank and once I was under there turning on the water and the bird flew out right past my head. But it was so fast and I was so startled that I didn't see what kind of bird it was. I imagine it's something small though, although the eggs are about the same size as robin's eggs so I don't know. I'll have to research it. thanks again for all the nice comments on my chimes! Robin

Hi Robolady We share similar interest. Don't forget to add my blog to your "Reader Content" page when it is ready. http://greenbeingnancy.blogspot.com Here's the link where I have placed you. http://greenbeingnancy.blogspot.com/2007/03/something-old-before-you-chuck-check.html Rgds Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: GreenBeing Nancy

Hi Des, glad to have you back in the Trash Pile. Hope your Grandchildren are feeling better, sick children can run you down also. As for me, it's mostly been getting things ready to enjoy the Spring/Summer and even put out a few garden items. A couple of my main projects this year are to cut the whiskey barrel I found last year in half and use it for planters but I'm going to put wooden poles in it with birdhouses attached to the top and hope birds move in. I've got some seeds planted in peat pots now to get them going for the barrels later. Second, I was thinking of planting an old trunk with flowers and put it in an area of my driveway that does not have enough room to make a flower bed. I was thinking of using some spikes, ivy, maybe wave petutias. Any suggestions on other trailing plants? I wouldn't even mind using a small wooden trellis in it to have the plants climb upward. With the trunk planted, I'll at least have some color in that area and it'll be my little "treasure chest." I found the trunk last year so if it gets water-logged or ruined, doesn't matter, just throw it away "again."