Okio B Designs: March 2012

I know March is a crazy month but c'mon now. It's freezing here again and I don't feel like doing anything. I feel like we had a taste of spring and Mother Nature just yanked it away.

This is about all I feel like doing today.

Jeanine

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I am in the process of giving this Home Goods' wood tote a makeover. I actually remembered to take some before photos for once:

Not loving the yucky brown. I bought it a couple of years ago and I don't quite remember why. She ain't pretty.

And after sitting in the tea room holding magazines and books for a couple of years, she was filled with cobwebs and other little creature remnants. Bleah!

Right now she's sitting in the garage after the first coat of paint. I want to do something spring-y so I'm thinking either white or pink. And I have the perfect little embellishments that I just picked up from Michael's.

Wish me luck!

Jeanine

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It's my favorite time of the week: White Wednesday (even if it is only Tuesday)! This tray was a garage sale find from last year and since I left it out over the summer, it got a little, um, dirty. So over the weekend I gave it a fresh coat of white paint:

Since I'm keeping it indoors this year, I wanted to give it a Frenchy touch, so I printed out this great image from The Graphics Fairy's DIY blog. At first I was going to stencil it on using graphite paper but being in a lazy mood, I chose to Mod Podge it on instead. I distressed the edges ever so slightly for an aged look.

Right now it's on my dining room table displaying my little cloches and Easter eggs.

I really love this graphic!

Linking to Faded Charm: White Wednesday.

Jeanine

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A couple of weeks ago, my 4 year old and I saved this cute little table from someone's trash. As I was putting it in the car, he asked if he could have it for his room. It was originally black but here it is now:

I gave it a few coats of white spray paint.

Then I let him pick out a Spongebob picture to add to the top. We decoupaged it on using Mod Podge.

He loves that he can put his books on the bottom as he likes to "read" before he goes to bed. Total cost: $0!

Jeanine

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I saw a gorgeous, vintage pink fan on Pinterest that I'm hopelessly in love with. What are the chances of me finding one during my estate and garage sale escapades? I'm thinking slim to none so I came up with an alternate plan:

Paint a vintage one pink instead.

I did find this one at an estate sale earlier this month and it was a yucky gray. All it took was a few coats of pink spray paint and voila: I have my vintage, pink fan.

Of course now I'll find the real thing - ha! And never you mind that poop looking stuff on the tea room wall. It's some sort of spray insulator stuff my husband used when he built it. Bleah! I'm hoping to get that stuff out of there this year because, well, it looks like poop!

Jeanine

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Well hello Spring! So happy you have finally arrived. And what better way to celebrate the first day of this lovely season then with some mini clay pots:

I had painted these an aqua blue a couple of years ago but I decided I might like white a little better. I gave each a few coats of spray paint and then added some Frenchy touches. For the first one, I used a Paris sticker and a faux pearl embellishment. I used this same image for my lastest batch of Starbucks bottles. I just love it!

For this one, I used another great Frenchy one - courtesy of The Graphics Fairy. This is also a sticker I made using Avery label sheets. It curls a little but just keep pressing down on that sucker and it will finally get the message. And can't forget the burlap.

This one is kind of a do-I-love-it or do-I-hate-it one. I used the Mod Podge/tissue paper method to decoupage the French script onto it. Then I used some Distressed Ink to age it a bit and tied some twine on. I'm still not sure if I love it or hate it. Guess we'll see if it grows on me.

Here they are on a shelf in the tea room. Not sure how long they will stay as it gets VERY hot in there and I'm sure the Avery label paper will curl even more...

Linking to Faded Charm: White Wednesday.

Jeanine

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Well it seems the warmer weather is finally here to stay (I hope, I hope!). We spent a lovely weekend outdoors, doing some much-needed Spring cleaning around the yard. It was also the perfect weekend to get some spray painting in. Remember this little bench I found at an estate sale earlier this month? I finally got around to sprucing it up:

After cleaning off all of the dust and cobwebs, I gave it a few coats of flat white spray paint.

Once that was dry, I printed out this great image from The Graphics Fairy. I've seen people using it for everything from a Lazy Susan to a coffee table so I knew it would fit perfectly on my my bench.

I used graphite paper to stencil it onto the seat of the bench. It's my second time using graphite paper and I'm finally getting the hang of it. My advice: use a pen when tracing and try not to lean on the paper when tracing. I had a few smudges that I tried to cover up with some acrylic paint.

I found the perfect spot for her in the corner of my tea room.

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

Jeanine

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I hit a couple of estate sales this morning. The first one was terribly overpriced but I did find these two pretty black and white photos.

Marie Antoinette anyone?

This one is a little tattered but it spoke to me so I grabbed it. It cost me $2 for both pictures.

I got these great tin canisters at the second one. Not bad for $5! And how could I pass up this suitcase for $1. Can't wait to paint it white to add to my collection!

For $8, I'm pretty happy with my haul!

Jeanine

3 comments

Is it just me or does everyone else seem to lose their mojo on a cold, dreary day? It was 70 degrees here on Wednesday and it's gone down hill since then. Needless to say, these past two days have not provided any real inspiration for me.

And since it's so dark and dreary here, so are my pictures. =( I gave this Dollar Store frame a Frenchy touch last night. I glued some leftover burlap to the back of the frame.

After removing the glass, I tore a sheet out of a vintage French poetry book and aged it a bit with some Distressed Ink. Once that was glued on, I added the skeleton key and numbers at the bottom.

Really quick and simple, and of course I'm always pleased when I can use items I already have readily available.

Still, I'm waiting for the sun to come back out and the warmer weather to stick around for more than a day or so. C'mon Mother Nature, I know you can work your magic!

Jeanine

6 comments

Time has not been on my side this week. About the only crafty thing I was able to accomplish was two more embellished Starbucks bottles:

I bought these graphics from Etsy and love, love, love them! How can you go wrong for $1 each? I've already used them for bags, tags and I'll be using them for pillows shortly.

I printed them out on Avery Label Paper. Super easy and the paper is pretty reasonably priced. For this one I added a rhinestone and tea-stained seam binding.

For this one I added a couple of rhinestones and the scrolled sheet music tied with twine.

I finally filled up my bottle holder! Drank a lot of Starbucks but it was worth it! I needed the little kick anyway.

Jeanine

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I seem to have a large stash of white frames in the house. I didn't realize just how many I had until I decided to make these framed fork, knife and spoon prints for the kitchen:

You've probably seen these images on The Graphics Fairy. I had filed them away on my computer, planning to do some napkins or placements with them but when I flipped through the premier issue of Vintage Style magazine, I saw a framed spoon print and decided to copycat!

The frames are mostly from garage sales and thankfully, I had already painted them white. I printed out the images onto cardstock. I had to crop the fork, knife and spoon image to get a single spoon image. I really love how they look over this window in our kitchen and the fact that it cost me $0 to make them!

Linking to The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday.

Jeanine

4 comments

Driving home from pre-K today, I spotted this little table in the trash. I pulled over to inspect it and it was in pretty good condition.

As soon as my 4 year old saw it, he asked if it could be his.

Who am I to argue with that face? I told him we have to paint it. He wants to add Spongebob to it, so that should make for an interesting makeover.

Aside from some dust and having to tighten the bottoms, it really is a sweet little table. Stay tuned for the makeover!

Jeanine

5 comments

Brrrr...it's chilly here today but putting out some Easter decorations puts a little Spring in my step. I feel like a kid at Christmas time when I unpackage all of my goodies from previous years:

These are actually little bunny candleholders from the Pottery Barn outlet. The tapers didn't make it. Sadly, they all bent. Still, I like them even without the candles.

My favorite Easter banner! Bought it off Etsy last year.

More Pottery Barn outlet finds...paper mache eggs. Can't wait to fill these with some candy for my boys.

I love this little HOP set. Another beauty I snagged off Etsy last year! The two silver bunnies in front are salt and pepper shakers from, yup you guessed it, the Pottery Barn outlet.

This is the $1.99 nest from Home Goods. The little bunny pot-holder is from a garage sale.

I have a few more decorations to break out. Trying to pace myself but since we don't really decorate for St. Patrick's Day and with Easter being early this year, I figured what the heck!

Jeanine

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I popped into Michael's earlier this week for some odds and ends. I had been admiring the wax seals in the bridal section for some time. I finally caved and bought some wax and a fleur de lis stamper. They were only $4.99 each. Last night I used them for this quick French votive:

I used some vintage French book paper to wrap around the votive. I distressed the paper edges a bit to give it an even more worn look. Then I used a glue dot to keep the two ends together.

I have to admit, the wax was a little tricky to work with. You can't burn it - it will turn black in the blink of an eye. So you have to keep the flame at a good distance. Then you have to worry about it dripping all over the place - ack! If the wax is uneven, the stamper image will be off.

It took me about three tries to get it as close to perfect as possible. I do love the look and think I will try the red wax next to make it pop.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine

6 comments

We hit an estate sale this morning. The weather was dreary and the wait was long, but I did manage to score some great vintage finds:

I think I'm definitely going to paint this little fan pink.

I could not resist these opera glasses with case. I just love them! Same for the vintage lace gloves. Love!

I also got this cute little bench for $10. Funny thing is, I have a similar one I'm using to display some vintage toys in an alcove at the top of our stairs.