Okio B Designs: January 2012

I never ever pass up the bargain aisle at our local Michael's. It's filled with treats usually starting at $1 up to no more than say $5. I scooped up a bunch of these pretty shabby frames with my store credit and gave each a French touch:

I love the shabby, chippy feel of it. I added the faux pearls and flower embellishment. It would not be complete without the fabulous French image from The Graphics Fairy.

Since Blogger is not letting me upload photos for some reason, I'll show the others in another post. Argh, Blogger!

Linking to The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday, Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday and Faded Charm: White Wednesday.

Jeanine

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**There is still time to enter my giveaway here.**

If you saw the February issue of Romantic Homes, then you saw these little cuties from Ikea.

So cute and I love the colors!

I'm the world's worst cake baker so I appreciate the non-stick, squishy plastic they are made of. However, my husband claims I failed on my New Year's Resolution not to buy stuff, but I gently reminded him it was: not to buy stuff I don't NEED. I need these!

Jeanine

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Remember that old soda crate I found at a junk barn a couple of weeks ago? The one that set me back a whole $5?!

Well, today I finally got my husband to put the wheels on the bottom. Sure, I could have done it myself but I was afraid of splitting the wood. Besides, you know how men like to feel needed...

Love it now that it's mobile! I'm trying to figure out whether to make a liner because of this...I can't even imagine what this blue stuff is but it does smear when I try to wipe it out.

Yuck! For now I have a piece of burlap covering the bottom to keep Mr. blue mess in his place. Here's the crate now:

I'm not sure if I'll keep it as a toy crate but I do love the look of the vintage Pooh and friends, and my primitives bee girl in there.

I'm sure I'll play around until I feel the love. Or at least until the boys figure out it has wheels and try to "ride" down the steps in it...Sigh!

Linking to Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday.

Jeanine

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**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here.**

I'm pretty much done with my Valentine's Day decorations. Mainly because I've run out of places to display them! Last night I did a peat pot in pink which I thought would be a nice departure from white, and make for a nice Valentine's Day touch:

I used my Cricut to print out the French script heart and then tied it on with some tea-stained seam binding. The little button was the finishing touch.

How about this lovely Cupid print (from Graphique.etsy.com)?

These little paper mache birdies don't quite scream Valentine's Day, but I still had money to use on my Michael's store credit so I picked them up yesterday. How can you resist a sheet music bird for $1? And like potato chips, you can't get just one!

They also had plain paper mache birdies. I fudged the first one (don't ask!) so last night I painted my last little birdie and will post it soon.

Jeanine

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There is just something about winter that puts me in a sewing mood. I broke out my sewing machine this week and made a few new pillows and pin cushions.

I really love this great French-y image from The Graphics Fairy. I printed the image onto my fabric and then just sewed and stuffed. I printed it out in a 5x7 size so I was able to get two images onto the fabric. Kind of like two for the price of one! I'm wondering, though, if some of you sewing pros can tell me what I'm doing wrong on some of my pillows. They doesn't always seem to come out even. Sometimes they have what I can only describe as "wings"?!

I used the same fabric plus another I bought from Fabric.com a few months ago for these pin cushions. I just love the way they look in the vintage jello molds. I added some French script to give them a French-y touch. For these, I used a plate to cut my circles and then just stitched the fabric leaving two ends long. When I was done stitching all around, I pulled the ends together, tied, added my stuffing and then hot glued them to my molds.

I have added a few other new petite pillows to my Etsy shop too.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday and The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday.

Jeanine

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We're in the midst of our first snow fall of the season. It looks so pretty! While, I'd love to hunker down and spend the morning and afternoon crafting, one of my boys has a birthday party to go to today.

Pinterest via Between Naps on the Porch

I've been very lazy the last couple of days but I do have some projects to post later today/tomorrow morning. For now, I'm going to enjoy the quiet calm snow seems to bring and then head off for a morning of roller skating! Wish me luck!

Jeanine

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Decided to treat myself to these sweets earlier this week. I had a store credit for Michael's and couldn't scoop up these little candle holders fast enough:

Aren't they adorable?!

They would even make for cute candy bowls.

So happy to be adding them to my crown collection!

Jeanine

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I confess. I splurged a whole 5 bucks this weekend when we went to a salvage barn by my parents' house. Well, they actually have three barns of "junk." We didn't have time to sift through everything - mainly because it was freezing but I did see this vintage soda crate:

It's in perfect condition. A little dirty on the inside but it's basically perfect!

I'm planning on adding some wheels to the bottom. I think my hubby has some already in the garage that I can "acquire" without him knowing!

Overall, I think it was $5 well spent!

Jeanine

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Who knew a paper shredder could come in handy for craft projects?! I just love the look of shredded sheet music and I have used it in a number of projects. I decided to use it for these sweet Valentine's Day bags too.

First I printed off the images from The Graphics Fairy. I used my Cricut to cut them into circles. Then I used some Sticky Dots paper to make them into stickers. Place them towards the bottom of the bag and then start stuffing in your sheet music.

I fill them as close to the top as possible and then tie them up with some twine.

Then I made some of these Chocolat glassine bags using some clear Avery label paper. It's hard to see but there is pink, faux pearl embellishment on the top. I just love the look of glassine bags! These are for sale in my Etsy shop.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday and The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday.

Jeanine

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Sticking to my new year's resolution to use what I already have for future craft projects, I whipped up this sweet little lavender sachet today. I have a gazillion of these little glassine bags and thought they'd make for a nice sachet:

I simply hand-stamped the French script on the front. I added the little birdy as an after-thought and I quite like it now.

Then I added some lavender buds. I stitched the opening closed. And guess what happened? You couldn't smell the lavender! Doh! So I had to poke itty bitty holes all around it so you can actually smell the aroma. I get just enough of the smell without it being to overpowering.

Now to figure out if I want to add it to my unmentionables drawer or the hallway closet. Decisions, decisions...

Linking to The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday.

Jeanine

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My craft room/office is a disaster. There, I said it. I'm slowly trying to get things in order starting with some of these jars:

I'm really loving this chalkboard paper. I wish I had heard about it sooner. I used my Cricut to cut it into these cute tags.

Now I can easily identify what I need instead of digging through a pile of everything.

I'm just giddy over how organized I am now!

Now to get to the rest of the mess.

Jeanine

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**Update: the blogger I mention below is Susan from HomeRoad!**

I visited a blog last week (of course, now I can't remember which one!) that reminded me about this decorative bedspring I had ordered from Somerset Living a few months ago. I had originally planned to use it in our bedroom once my husband re-painted it but when I saw the other blogger had added her's to the kitchen, I decided to do the same:

My 4 year old helped me collect some photos to add to it. We clipped them on with some of my French clothes pins.

The little numbered lavender sachets are from Faded Plains. I had bought a scale and some other items from her Etsy shop and she enclosed those in the package. They are so sweet!

This is one of my husband's favorite photos of his late mother.

I'm looking forward to adding more photos and other memorable family items.

Linking to Faded Charm: White Wednesday.

And please, if you are that blogger I'm talking about - send me a note so I can give credit where credit is due!

Jeanine

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Paging the lost and found! While we were packing away our Christmas lights yesterday, I found this little tool caddy that I bought a while ago and totally forgot about. It was in pretty bad shape and needed a white spray paint makeover stat. Thanks to yesterday's warm weather, I was able to give it a few coats of paint in just a few hours.

Once it was dry, I broke out this graphite transfer paper that I bought last year. It sat and sat on one of our craft shelves so I was happy to actually use it. Basically you lay a sheet of it on your project and then add the image you want to transfer ontop. I used this great image from The Graphics Fairy. Tape both to your project. You can use either a pencil or pen to transfer. At first I used pencil but it came out very lightly. So I switched to a pen which gave me this:

I made a couple of oopsies - particularly on the 'S' in Paris but overall I found the paper easy to use. I was afraid it might smudge so I gave it a couple of coats of poly to seal it in once I was done stenciling it on. Once that was dry, I painted the wood fleur de lis and glued that to the front of the handle.

Here's a close up.

Once everything was dry and ready to roll, I added some faux Dollar Store moss to both bottoms. I was in a pink mood so I added some vintage pink thread, a bottle of pastel buttons and the cute butterfly (from Michael's). Adding to the French theme is the French book paper page tucked in the corner.

I would definitely use the graphite paper again as I have a few sheets left. Maybe next time I'll try a more intricate image/design.

Linking to The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday.

Jeanine

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A few weeks ago my sister, Kathy from Creative Home Expressions mentioned chalkboard paper in a comment on my blog. Well, of course that got the wheels turning for this garage sale mirror I got over the summer:

I loved the gold frame and used chalkboard paint over the mirror. Unbeknownst to me, when the paint dried and I tried to prime it, the scratches and scribbles were awfully noticeable. Look closely, you can see the epic fail. Soooo...before I made my new year's resolution to cut back on buying stuff I don't need, I ordered this self-adhesive chalkboard paper from ABC Supplies.

It arrived yesterday and I got busy this morning putting it to use. Now I still have to work on trimming the edges but what a great difference!

It was a bit of a pain to use because it kept rolling back and sticking to the adhesive. I think with a little practice, though, this could be great to use for all sorts of projects I have swimming around in my mind.

Now I just have to find a place for it! ;)

Jeanine

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One of my new year's resolutions is to cutback on buying things I just don't need. That includes clothes, home decor and yes, even craft supplies. That's not to say I won't pop into an estate sale or two, or my favorite church thrift store - or Michael's! - from time to time. I just want to de-clutter and use things I already have in the house - returning to my previous alter-ego: One Cheap B*tch.

So when I spied this little journal that had been sitting in my craft bin, I knew I could set a good example for myself by using what I already have.

I had one sheet of the script paper leftover from god knows when, so I glued that onto the cover. I printed off the Eiffel Tower image and Paris postmark from the Graphics Fairy and just randomly glued those onto the script paper - adding my own little red Paris postmark.

Then it was just a free-for-all with stamping 2012 on the front in red and black, adding the lace trim, key and random Paris stamps here and there.

I even used snippets of French book paper and leftover fabric. The finishing touch was the frozen Charlotte and the twine.

I will probably never use this as an actual journal but it makes for a nice touch to the vintage school desk vignette that I change up from time to time.

It feels good not spending any money and really using what I already have. Hopefully this is one resolution I can actually keep! ;)

Jeanine

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Adding a little more LOVE around the house in preparation of Valentine's Day. If you saw the recent cover of Somerset Living, you'll know exactly where this little pretty came from:

I can't wait to make a few more of these! I used a skinny strip of dyed muslin and hand-stamped je t'aime on it. Tape it onto the spool and add a colorful safety pin for a finishing touch. Adds just a pop of color!

I actually made this frame a couple of years ago.

Sweet little treat bag.

And how about a little XOXO in a white peat pot?

Oh yes, I am definitely feeling the love...and goofiness. Me and my oldest son incognito this weekend. (And I finally got the hubby to take the Xmas tree down!).

Jeanine

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Happy New Year! It's hard to believe it's twenty twelve. Here's to hoping this is everyone's year to win the lottery...ha! =) Since I spent a quiet new year's eve at home, I was up bright and early picking up some treats to add to my vintage milk bottle holder:

I'm dubbing this our Valentine's Day Candy Land.

It's filled with clear mason jars which I then filled with various heart-shaped candies and vintage Valentine's Day cards that I bought off of Etsy two years ago.

The little heart wands are from Michael's. The faux roses and carnations are from the Dollar Store. The heart runner is from Home Goods.

This lovely little cake stand is also from Home Goods. I picked it up last year and still love it! I think I need a few more cupcakes to add to the top though. Those are also from Michael's.

Can you feel the love?! Or at least the sugar that will soon be coursing through my children's veins?! Ha!

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine