2nd Time around Tuesday~

This week I am sharing a bowl and matching candle stick set I picked up this past weekend for a mere $5 bucks for the three piece set. It is kinda hard to see the "before" photo of the set as I've got it up against a bunch of "clutter"--- but hey, my house is full of clutter, so anywhere I put it you'd get the same look! I took the hanging crystals off, took the bowl off of the center stand.... placed tape over the white marble base and simply spray painted the set white. I cleaned and rehung the crystals, reattached the bowlie...and taaaa daaaaaa instant caute!If you'd like to see more 2nd time around treasures please visit Diane and her blog "A picture is worth a 1,000 Words" If you have linked here from Diane's blog and wish to view my blog you can click here I just posted a fabulous recipe for Apple Muffins-- YUM!

Easter Basket...

Here is the basket that I'm going to use to hold all the "stuff" I'm going to be sending to my swap partner for the Vintage Easter swap. I need to get some lovely ribbon to wrap around the handle... I love the shape of this basket. I've got a vintage basket (that I'm keeping for myself I'm no dummy!) that is shaped just like this one. Here is the before photo of the basket~ I also picked up some chicks & rabbits from the dollar store. I especially love the chicks... the little chicks hop :-) I added some embellishments and taaaaaa daaaaa instant cauuuute!! Some are going to my swapping partner and some are going on my hutch! I may have to go buy some more of those chicks...they are so darn cute!! Don't they look happier now? There is still time if anyone is interested in signing up for this vintage Easter swap, you've got until March 8th.... go on over to Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly and sign up! Hurry!

Pink & pearl garland

Here is a little something I whipped up recently. You know those strings of beaded garland that are about 18' long that you can pick up super cheap at Christmas time? Well, I crocheted around each bead on this long strand of beaded garland. Kinda cute huh? Its a great project to work on while watching t.v..... something you can just mindlessly work on and before you know it-- its finished! I'm going to add this (and several more) to my Christmas tree next year. Here is the easy-peasy instructions just incase someone out there wants to give it a try~

First of all, your needing to attach your crochet thread to the end of the garland with a slip stitch or knot, whichever you prefer. Once the crochet thread is attached you simply chain 4 stitches then make a sc in between the next two pearls. Thats it....just continue with the ch 4 and doing a sc in between each pearl. At the end chain 12 or more then come back down the other side doing the same ch 4/1 sc in between each pearl. Easy-peasy~ Once your garland is completed.... you could go back up and down each side again adding 5 dc in each ch 4 space and a slip stitch in each sc space. This makes a wider garland, but I was wanting a smaller/simpler garland for my own tree~

Show & Tell~

Here is a little dresser that I picked up at a yard sale for one dollar. This photo shows exactly how it looked when I bought it...... slightly sanded, knobs missing, and two colors of paint. I must admit, I've kept it this way for about a year! I just stuck it in my studio, filled it with items and have been happy with it ever since..... until now. This little dresser is getting a makeover~ Here is the BEFORE photo:
Here is the AFTER photo: *My very first tutorial* Woot-woot~

Here is an EASY-PEASY tutorial on how I did it:

I wiped the whole thing down with a wet towel to remove all the flaking paint and dust and in keeping with my shabby chic style-- painted the whole thing white. I didn't sand anything on the dresser, figuring on using those bits of globby paint to my advantage when antiquing it later. Once painted, I wanted to add some of those wooden appliques that everyone is just wild about....but heck, it is just a flimsy one dollar dresser, so that seemed absurd. Soooooooooo I got out one of my many stencils and I set out to stencil on some joint compound to give it the "appearance" of a wooden applique.

Firstly, your needing some joint compound, a putty knife (I use a stir stick instead), a stencil of your choice, some tape, a ruler & pencil. Thats it~ Next, if your centering your design like I did-- find the center and mark the spot with a pencil to help you align your stencil... next, just tape your stencil down. (yes, that is paint on my stencil, I do not wash the paint off of my stencils)Now, comes the fun part. You just take some of your joint compound and spread a nice coat of it on top of your stencil. No worries, don't stress-- it does end up looking fabulous-- promise! While this is setting up a little, I draw the center on the next drawer...so I would say about 2 minutes max. That seemed to work fine for me~ Next, you just pull up your stencil. Keep a good grip on it as its going to be heavy with the excess joint compound on it. (Place the stencil onto newspaper or scrap paper so you don't get anything on your work surface) If for any reason your not happy with the results, simply wipe off the joint compound while it is still wet, with a wet paper towel, and start over! (I had to wipe off a finished drawer as I noticed I had applied the stencil upside down lol) At this point you want to tap down any large peaks or wipe away any mistakes or globs. Again, no biggy-- enjoy the process~ When your ready for the next drawer, simply pick up your joint compound ladden stencil and reapply to a new drawer front. You do not have to clean your stencil between each drawer...unless your extremely messy and it is necessary! Repeat this process until all the drawers are completed. Let the newly appliqued pieces dry for 5 hours or more....until everything is dry to the touch. At this point you can either use your nail or an razor blade to cut off any bumpy bits --if you want to. Don't sand it or it will crumble completly off. To clean your stencil, simply scrape off remaining joint compound and put back into the container. Try to wipe off as much of the compound as possible (I use toilet paper, it is softer and less harsh on the stencil than paper towels) and toss the tissue into the trash. Just rinse the stencil under hot water while rubbing the stencil gently and the joint compound washes away. Next, I painted over the raised area with the same latex house paint that the drawers had been painted with. I put two coats on each drawer, once the paint has dried comes the super fun part! Antiquing! I used a nutmeg brown paint watered down and applied randomly with a large brush. I then used my fingers to rub the watered down paint all over the piece. I had to rewet my fingers a lot to keep the paint moving in an even coat. If it sets up and looks awful-- just rewet the area and run your fingers/hand across it until you like the looks of it.Looks good huh? If at a later date I feel I want it to be lighter, I'll just wet it and rub more off. Lastly, just take a brown ink pad.... I used a color called "chocolate chip" and rub it along the edges and raised areas of your piece. This is when the piece really comes to life. Here is my one dollar dresser all finished with its new knobs and freshly appliqued painted surfaces ready to be used once again! (I bought a bag of 24 of these knobs for $2 bucks) Here is a close up. Doesn't it look neat and super old? Not to bad for a dollar dresser~

You can view more Show & Tells on Kelli's blog. If you've arrived here from "There's no place like Home" and wish to view more of my blog, you can click here.

Granny cart~

I finally finished the fabric insert for my "granny cart" I like to use this when I go to some of the mile long yard sales we have here in town. Some months it is every weekend that they are held :-) I used an old worn quilt instead of new fabric... the backside of the quilt (which is now the inside lining of my cart) is a lovely rose print. I love the old look of this quilt. It was a very worn-old quilt, but I don't think it was an "antique" I picked it up from one of my local haunts for 5 bucks. I had previously taken the back fabric off of this quilt, which worked out well since the two pieces now have hidden seams. It has a very "shabby" look to it, which I adore!I also covered two bungee cords to match~ I would like to make a cover of some kind as I notice people like to peer inside my cart when its full of treasures lol-- which keeps me from delving deep into unopened boxes of treasures that have things for sale because I'm trying to keep an eye out for looters lolI often buy loads of magazines while hitting yard sales...but, what the heck do you do with them all? They start breeding when your not looking and before you know it, they are everywhere!

Over the years I've come to realize that most magazines only have a few things that I'm interested in ever seeing/reading/or trying (recipe wise) so, I've come up with a solution that works well for me. I rip out pages of things I want to view again-- and place all pretaining pages together into a single plastic binder page. Then I place all like things together in different binders. I have one solely for recipes, crochet patterns, art ideas etc. The remainder of the magazine I either pass on to friends or I donate to a thrift store-- I always mark the corners with a slash mark so I don't rebuy magazines lol

I'll post this recipe for snowball cupcakes when I make them, don't they look delicious?

Front door~

Here is a little something that I whipped up for my front door for this winter/holiday season... I had seen something similar in a magazine and thought "I can make that!"I used a pair of small ice skates (originally black) I picked up for$5 bucks (which I painted pink) I added some textured paint to the blades for the appearance of snow then while still wet I sprinkled on some diamond glitter (Michaels $5 bucks) The snowballs were made using styrofoam balls (a box full for free!) and some joint compound which I had on hand in the garage. I poked a wooden skewer into each ball to use as a handle while I covered each ball with the joint compound-- this also made it easier to let each styrofoam ball dry completely because you can insert them into cups/vases etc to let them dry. After the snowballs were dry I put some glitter randomly onto each ball. I picked up this huge baby blue syrup bucket for $1 buck this past Saturday at a yard sale :-) The greenery was a wreath I had that I just smooshed together into a greenery blob. I then just stuffed it into the bucket, tied on the skates.... poked the skewers into the greenery...and added two white glittered bows. Taaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaa instant cute!Just a girl is hosting a craft party, be sure to go over and check it out! Also, The Inspired Room is hosting a "Holiday Linky Love" event... check it out as well!!

Theme Thursday~

This weeks theme is birds~

I created a nest for a glittered silver bird which I gave baby blue rhinestone eyes to.... the nest was created using two pages from a diary written with blue ink-dated in the 1900's. The egg itself is an ostrich egg that I got at an estate sale for .10cents. (photo at the bottom shows what it looked like before) It was cracked, so I just broke off the top bit and worked with the bottom part of the shell~

The shell was painted white (to hide the previous decoupage) and then completely covered with glitter inside & out! I created the party hat added a baby blue feather and taaaaaaa~daaaaaaa "instant cute"

(before photo) You can see more Theme Thursday art here.

Button wreath~

Nothing like a button wreath to get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season!I used a styrofoam wreath form which I covered in white felt and then some cheese cloth to give it a little more body. I hot glued all those buttons on one at a time....overlapping them to cover any signs of fabric. It took me five hours and 6 long glue sticks. I still have two jars left of that color of button :-P *girls got the buttons!!* I've got the wreath hanging from the knobs of an old handmade hutch that I picked up for a whopping $10 bucks from one of our local thrift stores-- the milk glass is also from various thrift stores & yard sales :-)

Arrrrrrgh a pirate album...

Well, I finished the pirate photo album...I think it turned out rather nicely :-) This album is going to hold only one photo per year from my grandson's yearly pirate party. I think it will be a wonderful keepsake to see the changes in him from year to year :-)I covered the book itself with faux leather fabric as the base to build upon. I then used some velvet with a stamped pattern to give it an old world feel (I think it is vintage velvet fabric, but I'm not sure) I then attached a wire & bead belt from India that I cut down and wrapped around the front & back of the album which closes with velcro--- (I know, its suppossed to be "old world" but hey, those stupid little snaps where not so easy to sew on so I opted to use velcro :-P) Then.... I created a small banner with my grandson's name on it sewn in gold metallic thread and glued some rhinestones on each letter. Then I stitched it all together and taaaaaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaaaaaa instant cute photo album!!! I also painted a small treasure chest that once was painted black with the word "Raiders" on it.... gasp-- now its how it should be.... all piratey! It holds some coins from other countries :-)

Been paintin'...

my new clock~ this beaut cost me all of $10 bucks. I purchased it from one of my many haunts~ I am eventually going to shabby it up a bit-- but for now I'm enjoying the clean look of it. When I bought it, it was a dark brown color. Three coats of white paint later I have a nice looking clock. I have it hanging up on the side of my brick fireplace next to my computer.... I replaced a small mirror I had hanging there. Looks all formal.... until you look down~
I've got my vintage little shelf unit housing my grandson's ever growing book collection next to an adorable pink rocking chair I snagged for $6 bucks (if I remember correctly!) That huge brown thing is my soon to be painted WHITE computer desk with my lovely new metal lamp ($7 buck steal) which was at the time I bought it, silver. Sooooo thats what I've been up to--- goofing around!!

Soooooooo cute~

Here is a little something that I put together that I thought turned out kinda cute...thought I'd share it.

I purchased a bag of 8 little tole trays for $2 from a local "boutique" (thrift store) months ago.... I've had them stashed in a drawer all this time. Half of them have painted roses on a black background and the other half are painted on a green background.I picked up this 3 tiered silver plated piece for $2...You see it coming don't you?Yep, I married the two together and now I have this LoVeLy little piece sitting on my dresser. The fit wasn't perfect, so I took some needle-nosed pliers and pulled up the sides of the tole trays so they fit snuggly within the frame of the 3 tiered piece. Simply charming!

Pirate high chair~

Here is a high chair that I picked up at a yard sale for $1 buckeroo. (I didn't take a photo of it with its tray so you could see it better!) Of course it didn't look anything like it does now... It was a (filthy) plain ol' baby high chair until I took it apart-- spray painted the frame black and reupolstered the seat and back which I then covered with some heavy duty plastic and then hot glued some rope around the edge just to finish it off~ I used my embossing heating tool to melt the heavy plastic so it curved around the edges better. Then I just used my glue gun to secure the plastic to the underside. Screwed the whole thing back together and that was it. Easy peasy and the results are super cute! This is going to be used at my grandson's yearly pirate party if there are any babies needing a high chair :-)

Work in progress....

I was needing some cups for the pirate party I'm hosting, so I came up with this idea. I had bought these cups about 4 years ago and had them in my garage all these years. Something to be said for "using what you got"....(I SELDOM DO lol)The cups you can pick up at any craft store for around a dollar each. I used a super thin bamboo beach mat ($1) which I cut to fit each cup. I used some card stock to make circles which I then glued to the bamboo mat-- cut out and glued to the bottom of each cup. I then hot glued the bamboo around the whole cup insert. I used some ultra suede for the oval which I then cut out a skull & cross bones image from yardage I bought from Walmart, added red felt for the top & bottom and then I just popped the insert with the "art" on it into the plastic holder and taaaaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaaa instant cute!

Show & Tell Friday~

Here is a wooden mantel clock I picked up at an estate sale recently for the small sum of $3 bucks. It is a new clock-- it runs on 3 double A batteries. Two of the batteries operate the hourly/half hour chime. Needless to say, I took those out the first night!! To loud for this light sleeper sleeping way down at the other end of the house lol. When company comes over though-- I am soooooooo putting them back in! It does sound lovely!The dark wood of the clock just didn't look right in my house at all! Sooooooo I painted it-- I know, I know-- some wrinkle their noses, but it does look like it belongs now :-)
Lastly, I share my bounty of cherries with you. I planted a cherry tree last year and just look at all this yumminess. I left a lot on the tree for my yard squirrel to eat. The little stinker loves his sweets!This show & tell is hosted by Kelli :-)

Show & Tell Friday~

This week I'm showing off a beautiful painting that I picked up for only $2.... great price but A LOT of damage. Someone had actually scratched the paint right off the canvas... gasp! I just couldn't let this beautiful mother and child be neglected any longer. They almost look scared don't they...There were big scratches all over the painting--- their faces & hair, the babies legs, the blue of her skirt. It seems every part had some damage to it. grrrrrrrrrr why would someone do that? I fixed it though~ I think it turned out fabulous, I'm really happy with the results. I used some thick texture paint and a putty knife to completely fill in the scratches in the brown background (letting it dry before repainting it.) Then I just used some acrylic paints and started dabbing/wiping/mixing/redabbing paint all over the painting until I was happy with the results. Then I went over the entire painting with my fabulous fix all...yep, that yellowish antique finish I put over everything lol. And taaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaa.... back to being fabulously cute.
This show & tell was hosted by Kelli~

Just for fun~

Here is a little something that I whipped up for a little friend of mine named Daylan. She is having a runway birthday party. Soooooo I thought of a "fashion boutique" I made her some business cards with a little felt card holder and a sign for her door which reads "Daylan's Fashion Boutique" I've also made a birthday bunting with her name on it. She told me her colors for her party were orange & baby blue! Very hip!

Show & Tell Friday~

Showin' & tellin' & givin' something away~

This week.... I'm sharing a torso/jewelry stand that I purchased from a second hand store for 2 buckeroos. The bust is made out of styrofoam and is held up by a brass stand. I covered the bust with vintage sheet music. I've had this jewelry stand for years. It was in my daughter's room when she was a teenager, it had leopard fabric on it when she had it. She hung necklaces from it and even used it as a bulletin board, it was cute! When she got married & moved out I had it in a hall closet for a few years lol.... and now its going in my studio~If your wanting to try covering something in old sheet music...here is how I did it:

There is a trick to covering things with old sheet music or paper from old books. If you have ever tried to tear old paper into random strips you'll find they will tear very straight. Not a good look when your looking for a more hap-harzard look. Soooooooo if you soak the paper in hot water before tearing it apart it will tear beautifully and actually adhere faster with whatever glueing method your using. I just rubbed Elmers glue all over the torso with my hands, full strength letting the water on the paper dilute it ever so slightly. I let the piece dry over night. I then went over any rough bits with 100 grit sand paper (ever so lightly) I then went over the entire bust with a product called "Decoupage Finish" made by Royal Coat.... oh my goodness, I just love that stuff. It gives it a nice slight-gloss-yellowed-antique look when it dries!! It only takes about 20 minutes to dry. I highly recommend this product. Anywho... once the finish coat was dry, I sanded anymore spots that seemed a tad rough and just applied another coat of the decoupage finish over those bits and taaaaaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaa instant cute!!

Another thing I want to share this Friday is this:

A flower pin made out of a vintage zipper. Now mind you, this is my very first one~ so it is not 100% fabulous, just about 80% fabulous~ I am having a "give-away" to anyone wanting a chance to win a zipper flower pin (not this one, hopefully a cuter one!) I know not everyone thinks this is cute nor would want it....so if you want a chance, just say you want in the drawing and I'll enter you! I will draw out a name and post it in next Friday's show & tell!

This show & tell is hosted by Kelli