Okio B Designs: April 2012

Feeling better and enjoying some gorgeous weather here today - yay! Didn't get much garage sale shopping in but we did start organizing stuff for our garage sale next month. While, cleaning up the garage, I found some bathroom tiles that we've had forever.

I just can't seem to toss them. So I stared at them for awhile this morning and thought: wouldn't they make for some cute refrigerator magnets?

So I made some! I bought this great French collage sheet off of Etsy. I printed it out at 3.5" x 5" size on regular white paper and they were just a teeny bit off for the tile pieces.

I Mod Podged each image onto the tiles and then did a coat on top to seal the image. Since they were all a little off on the top and bottom, I used some black paint to make a border. Yes, my painting is a bit sloppy but I can live with it. I think.

I used Glue Dots to add the magnets to the backs. Not sure how sturdy the dots will be in the long run, but so far so good. See the sloppy painting?!

Regardless of my sloppiness, I have them on the fridge already. I'd love any suggestions on what to do on the tops and bottoms - other than black paint. I think they look really cute this size, but I'm sure the uneven paint is going to start to gnaw at me every time I get something out of the fridge. What can I say? I'm a Virgo!

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine

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Guess who has strep throat now?! Thanks to my adorable 4 year old, I spent most of the day in bed.

Yesterday I put together this quick vignette in the kitchen using the vintage Pilgrim crate I found at a garage sale last week. (Not sure if I'll get any sales in this weekend - boo hoo!) I am thinking of adding some colorful straws or vintage silverware to the mason jars. The little pitcher is from Ikea and the French candle is one I made a couple of weeks ago.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Jeanine

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I have to say embellished bottles seem to be my new favorite find on Pinterest. I admire the many different styles, fabrics and, well, embellishments that people come up with. I was feeling a bit inspired this morning so I made this petite Marie Antoinette bottle:

These images are one of my first purchased off of Etsy. It was a full sheet of pure Marie love. I printed out the sheet and used a quarter to make rounds over the ones I chose for my bottle. Then I used Mod Podge to glue them on each of the four indented rounds on my bottle.

While that was drying, I whipped up another little envelope and added a Marie paperdoll of sorts to it.

I then added the vintage lace using my hot glue gun. After that, I added varying sizes, colors of faux pearl strips, the mini clothes pin and the tea-stained seam binding.

Not sure if you can tell but there is some scrolled sheet music in there as well. Kind of a message in a bottle?!

With my 4 year old home sick, this is about all I expect to get done today!

Jeanine

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Really not loving Blogger's new post format. Winter has returned to our neck of the woods. The 4 year old is home with strep throat...need I say more?!

Jeanine

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I needed a quick hostess gift this weekend due to a last minute invite. It wasn't someone I knew very well but I figured, you can't go wrong with a candle.

I had an extra dollar store prayer candle in the craft room. I used some of this great Frenchy wrapping paper and tea-stained seam binding, and voila: instant hostess gift!

She loved it!

And here are a few more goodies I scored over the weekend! These "Parisian" frames were marked $2 each but I got four of them for $1 each.

These vintage tart molds and the pineapple were $1 each.

How cute are these lil' chalkboard ornaments?

Overall, we had a very good junkin' weekend!

Jeanine

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I am definitely not a morning person. But it pays off when you stay awake after dropping the kids off at school and head out for some garage sale shopping. You cannot believe the loot I scored today. I can hardly believe it myself. So hard to contain my excitement! Lookie:

This old sewing box is just what I need for my craft room. I love the old ad and image on the front. I'm not sure if it's a repro or an actual vintage find, but I love it nonetheless.

Could not pass up this old Smith Corona typewriter for $3.

Oodles and oodles of vintage sheet music, oh my! It was marked $7 for all but I got them for $5.

Nice stack of old books - 50 cents each!

This old fan is gorgeous. No spray paint makeover needed here. Although it does remind me why they don't make fans like this anymore. Small hands + fan blades = mother's worst nightmare.

This stamp wheel with stamps was only $1. I also snatched up some star tart tins (in my Etsy shop), old wood bats and the Pilgrim box below.

Definitely in my glory today! I went to 6 different sales and spent about $26 for everything. Woo hoo! And the weekend has only just begun...

Jeanine

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Ever start a project and end up scratching your head halfway through? That's what happened to me with these fleur de lis candlesticks. I picked them up from a thrift store last week. They were originally white but a little grungy. I thought they would look good with a chocolate brown makeover but...

They went back to white. I did indeed paint them brown but it was a flat brown and they looked, well, icky. So I gave them a fresh coat of gloss white over the brown. I did just one coat because I did want some of the brown to show through for an aged look.

Not sure if you can see remnants of the brown peeking through in my photos.

I added some French script candles to them. The ones from my Etsy shop fit quite nicely. I may have to use these for props when photographing them!

So three coats of spray paint later and I'm back to white. At least it's not the original grungy white.

Jeanine

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We had the perfect weather here this weekend to get a little spray painting done. I immediately got to work on the cloche stand I got from the Unique Thrift Stores. You can see the before in the post preceding this one. Here is the after:

I used pink for a soft, spring look.

I added a vintage lace doily on the bottom and this little nest with eggs.

I thought it was still missing a little something so I added the Paris fabric tag as a finishing touch.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine

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Have you heard of Unique Thrift Stores? They are like one giant indoor garage sale. I know they are scattered throughout the country. This morning we headed over to one in Levittown that I probably drove past a thousand times and never took note of.

I was like a kid in a candy store there and the prices were pretty reasonable - $5 and under depending upon the item. The glass cloche with stand was only $2.92. I can't wait to clean up the salt and pepper shakers, and the little tray.

I'm thinking of doing these fleur de lis candlesticks in black. The little bottles will be perfect for my Etsy shop...once I French them up.

I also got some vintage sheet music and goodies for the boys. Yup, I'm sure I'll be heading back there soon. We didn't even get a chance to rifle through the clothing and accessories.

Jeanine

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The boys are off from school this week so I haven't had much time to blog, much less craft. I managed to steal a little time earlier today to make these cute, mini sheet music envelopes:

I found a great template here. I just printed off the size I wanted (4x6) onto cardstock. Then I traced the pattern onto my sheet music and cut each one out. Glue along where a store-bought envelope would be sealed.

I couldn't resist adding some French stamps.

And some bees. I even added a little pink button and a small French thank you card inside.

Super easy and I can already feel like these are going to be addictive!

Linking to: The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday.

Jeanine

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I was just about to toss this pinstriped Old Navy button down shirt that has seen better days. Then I remembered an issue of Martha Stewart Living where they used an old men's shirt to make a bunny, Xmas stocking, etc. So instead of adding it to the donation pile, I decided to make this cute, little pin cushion:

I hand-stamped some starfish onto the fabric to give it a beachy feel. Then, I added it to this vintage cup.

Another view. And that is authentic beach glass, hand-plucked by myself, the hubby and two boys right from the good ol' beaches of Long Island! =)

I have a lot left over shirt and I'm trying to decide what to use it for next!

Jeanine

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Happy Easter!!!!

Jeanine

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I haven't had much time this week for any projects (boo hoo!), so I'm sharing some quick tags I made last week using my Cricut:

I love this French script image that I purchased off of Etsy (Graphique.etsy.com) and I love how it looks on this Fleur de Lis.

I use #80 cardstock so it's a bit thicker than the regular #60 found in most craft stores. I finished them up with some tea-stained seam binding. I'm thinking of doing some for Xmas this year but with red and green seam binding. Can't you just see them hanging from the tree?!

Then I made some seahorses - also using the French script. I have some of these displayed in my bathroom which has a bit of a French/coastal feel. I also have both for sale in my Etsy shop.

Jeanine

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Remember that Home Goods wood tote I posted about last week (here)? Here it is now:

I originally wanted to paint it white but I ran out half way through. Plan B: pink. I wanted to make it really girly and yes, it is in our bathroom - right on top of the loo (so much nicer than saying toilet). The starfish hand towels are from Pottery Barn.

I added some vintage lace on both sides. Then I printed off the French image from The Graphic's Fairy and added them to both sides using Mod Podge.

I added this great Marie Antoinette image to both of the skinnier sides using Mod Podge. Once that was dry, I added the rhinestone embellishments.

Then I added some Frenchy touches inside.

This tag is actually a thank you from an Etsy purchase. I added the French script button because I accidentally ripped the tag when I added the tea-stained seam binding. Oops!

I'm really loving it and it's exactly the girly piece that I imagined it could be! Linking to The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday and Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine