plastic animals, two ways

Over the past few weeks I came across two projects involving plastic animal figures. In this house these toy animals are loved for what they are right now, but someday down the road, I will have older children and flocks, prides, and packs of miniature toy animals collecting dust.
When that day comes (or perhaps if I purchase my own tiny farmyard family beforehand), I am going to try both of these ideas.
The first is so simple and a really sweet and colorful way to organize a playroom. The site housetohome.co.uk featured this concept- animal figures glued to the lids of glass jars and then painted in various vibrant shades. Voila! A tidy and cool way to store beads, crayons, and all sorts of supplies.
The second project I saw, was a bit more complicated, but definitely worth the extra steps. The site thesweetestoccasion explains how to create your own party animal candleholders. I just loved the golden result.....plus she noted that using even the little figurines from the dollar store still resulted in a delightful, shimmering cake topper. What a truly clever idea.

Images courtesy of inmagine, housetohome,
thesweetestoccasion (3)