Okio B Designs: June 2012

I always have an abundance of lavender buds on hand for sachets and such. I've always stored it in a ziploc bag. Not very exciting. This morning I decided to make this lavender bottle and jars:

The bottle is an old lemonade one. I used this pretty image from the Graphics Fairy on the front. I printed it onto label paper (ssssshhhhh...don't tell UPS but I used some of their label paper!) and simply stuck it on the front of the bottle.

Then I draped some ribbon around the neck and secured it with a button.

For the mason jars, I printed out two different lavender images, also from the Graphics Fairy. They kind of look similar but they are two different images.

I tucked the cards into each jar and added the buds - leaving enough room to enjoy the image and still be able to get the tops back on.

Now I have a pretty new way to store my lavender buds!

Linking to the Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday.

Jeanine

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I just added these cuties to my Etsy shop. Beachy whale frames:

In blue.

And pink.

I used my Cricut Splish Splash cartridge to make the whales and their water. I typed out beach using Word and glued it beneath each whale. I made a blue one for myself to hang in the bathroom. The boys love it...and so do I! Adds just the right touch of beachy charm!

Jeanine

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My husband had some old clipboards tucked away in the garage. I found them over the weekend and decided to give them a French-y touch. Here is the first one I did:

First, I glued some sheet music to use as my background. Then I hot glued the vintage lace around as a border. The little white frame is from Michael's but I scored it at a garage sale for 25 cents. I used a religious photo from The Feathered Nest in the frame.

Next came the dried flowers - tied with twine and hot glued on. I also added some French poetry paper beneath the frame. I typed up some words to Ave Maria using a French script font. I distressed the paper a bit and a piece of wood, and added both in the corner.

Finishing touches were the rhinestones in the corners of the lace and the brown and cream tea-stained seam binding.

My husband wanted to know if I was adding it to my Etsy shop, but I'm keeping this for myself. =) I have it propped up in the tea room for now. I can't wait to get to work on the other one.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday and Faded Charm: White Wednesday.

Jeanine

5 comments

What is it about bees? They drive me insane outdoors but I love, love, love them for craft projects. A certain irony there, don't you think?

My sister Kathy (Creative Home Expressions) used some great bee images for some items in her Etsy shop from The Feathered Nest. She directed me there a couple of weeks ago and I downloaded this sweet little bee image.

I thought it would look pretty on this shabby floral fabric so I decided to turn it into a lavender sachet.

It smells wonderful! And the bees look so friendly and sweet. Maybe it's time to call a truce with the real ones?

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine

1 comments

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year here so far. Of course, we lost power. Argh! So between 6 p.m. and midnight, we sweated our little butts off. Somewhere in between dunking my head in a tub of cold water and polishing off another can of Diet Coke, I made this sheet music book stack:

I used some vintage sheet music from my garage sale stash to cover these dollar store books. Remember when you used to have cover your books in grammar school? I used the old tape and fold method. Mainly because I could only find my tape in the darkness - doh!

I have them in the tea room on the old bench that I redid a few weeks ago. Not sure if you can make out the tag with the crown and few lines of hand-stamped sheet music?!

Just some random views from the tea room. All set up for a tea party! You can see some garage sale finds that I redid like the crate with wheels holding some books and magazines, and the gold frame I redid with chalkboard paper.

Some old china in a cabinet the hubby redid.

A nice comfy spot to relax and unwind.

White birdcage.

Stack of old suitcases and Pepsi crate. You can see my boys have been in there. Note the Lego piece tucked into the crate!

Happy to have our power back on but it's still sweltering here.

Jeanine

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I wanted to dress up these burlap pouches that I've had forever. I knew I wanted to add some fabric to the front but I just didn't want to got through the hassle of sewing it on. I just don't know how to maneuver through the pouch without getting frustrated. Plan B: fabric glue!

I hand-stamped my bird images onto each piece of fabric first. One has Paris at the bottom and the other je t'aime. I used a cherry pink ink for both which I think matches quite nicely with the pinks in the fabric.

Then I lined up each fabric piece onto the burlap front (I put a card in between so the burlap wouldn't glue together, thus, rendering the pouch useless) and simply glued it on. Yeah, I'm easy like that.

Once that was dry, I glued on the vintage lace to the bottoms. I added a grungy red safety pin to one - just because. I tucked in some vintage French poetry paper in both.

I have one displayed in a basket I picked up last weekend at my sister's favorite Long Island store: Lavender Fields (hey, Kath, they are moving!). I put the other one on a bookshelf.

Not having to go through the hassle of sewing: priceless!

Jeanine

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This pretty basket is a re-do of a re-do. I bought it at a garage sale last year and painted it white. It, unfortunately, got a little dirty in the tea room thanks to a little birdy (use your imagination!) so I redid it over the weekend using Annie Sloan chalk paint in Antoinette:

I only did one coat because I wanted a shabby chic feel to it.

The B stencil is from Michael's. I tied it on with some twine. B is the first letter of our last name so I thought it would make for a nice touch.

Here it is in a corner of our guest room. I'm not sure if the Keep Calm and Carry on pillow will stay in there. I'm thinking of adding some book stacks instead.

Linking to Between Naps on the Porch: Met Monday.

Jeanine

6 comments

I popped over to a local estate sale this morning. I had gone last week but the prices were outrageous. I thought maybe this morning they'd be more flexible and they were...on certain items.

I picked up these vintage graters to hang in the kitchen. The small one actually has a peeler at the top.

Not sure if you can tell but this mason jar has a crown on it. How could I pass that up for $2?

Do you see it? I'm not sure it has the right lid but I can live with it.

These little vintage crates used to house cream cheese. Yup, that's how they used to deliver it to your house. I love when the old timers share a bit of history with me. My grandfather worked in a food store in Brooklyn and I wonder if he used to deliver these around the neighborhood back in the 30s?! I will have to ask my mom.

I'm bummed, though, because they had a vintage Coca Cola crate ($15) and two vintage scales ($50 each) that I just couldn't justify buying. Considering Cola crates are barely fetching $10 on Ebay these days, I know they were a bit overpriced. Overall, I'm happy with my haul.

Jeanine

10 comments

We found these vintage salt & pepper shakers at a garage sale a few months ago. They are silver-plated and screw off to reveal a glass holder for both the salt and pepper. Really unique. I wanted to give them a Frenchy makeover:

First I added my favorite vintage lace with some hot glue. Then I added the metal picture holders to each one. I was thrilled that they actually fit into the existing holes.

I used some distressed French book paper underneath the lace. I also added some faux pearl embellishments and tea-stained seam binding.

I added the religious medal to one and the je t'aime notecard to the other.

I love the shabby French feel of them!

Jeanine

6 comments

Saw some lovely mason jar candle holders on Pinterest yesterday. Since I have a ton of them, I decided to make a few myself:

I took some vintage sheet music and ripped it on both sides so it would fit around each jar. First, I distressed the edges a bit for a nice aged look.

Next, I wrapped the sheet music around each jar and used a glue dot to hold the overlapping piece in place.

Tie a piece of twine around, knot it and done! You have some super cute candle holders in a matter of minutes. I'm thinking of lining these up our front walk for our next outdoor party!

Jeanine

6 comments

I bought this frame for $1 at a local thrift store a few months ago. I had spray painted it white and that's about as far as I got. Yesterday, I decided to turn it into a burlap message board:

I cut a piece of foam board to fit the frame. Then I used some spray glue adhesive to add my burlap.

Once that was dry, I hot glued some metal clips to the front. Then I added some chalkboard tags. Feeling Frenchy, I wrote numbers 1-6 in French onto each tag.

As a finishing touch, I used a grungy red safety pin to add the Eiffel Tower image. I have it propped on a music stand in the tea room. Total cost: $1!

Linking to The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday.

Jeanine

8 comments

Yes, I did it. After months of hearing everyone rave about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I finally splurged and bought two quarts.

I could hardly contain myself when they arrived yesterday. I didn't waste any time painting these Goodwill candle sconces.

I chose Antoinette for them which is a soft pink.

These will be going in our bedroom once my husband re-paints the room. I enjoyed using the paint but is it me or is it very streaky?! I know the cans say you can use one coat but either my paintbrush stinks or my painting method stinks because I found the paint to be a little, as I said, streaky.

I'm working on a Pottery Barn knock-off shelf next and hoping that I will get the hang of using this paint. Wish me luck!

Jeanine

5 comments

Look at these adorable plates I found at Michael's this morning:

So beachy and coastal chic!

And only $1 each.

Score!

Jeanine

2 comments

I've been cleaning house since last week. Prepping for our upcoming garage sale. I keep finding little odds and ends here and there that slipped my mind. I had a stack of ordinary dollar store lunch bags and decided to spruce them up a bit:

I used some patterned crafting scissors to cut off the tops of each bag. Then I distressed some French poetry pages and glued them to the front of each bag.

I added a white faux pearl to the top of each bag and then tied them altogether with some bakers twine. The first one got some pretty vintage lace at the bottom with two more pearls on either side.

My husband already told me he will NOT be using them to bring his lunch to work. That's okay, hon, they weren't meant for you anyway. These little pretties are safely tucked away in the corner cabinet. ;)

Jeanine