I picked up a few of these Beaded Bamboo Place mats at Pier One for 8 bucks a piece. I've seen them at Bed Bath and Beyond as well.
These place mats are really interesting and add texture to a table setting but they also can be used for so much more. I bought a "tray top" coffee table on Craig's List for my sun room. After painting it brown, I popped the bamboo pieces in the tray, topped it with glass, and voila--a much more interesting table.
My daughter wanted a new mirror in her bedroom. I wanted to make her one that had a modern organic look. I had the lumberyard cut four pieces of wood 4 inches wide. I put them together as a frame, painted the frame brown and started gluing. The next day I had this.
This was shared on www.todayscreativeblog.net
and Someday Crafts.
