Okio B Designs: November 2014

**This giveaway is now closed**

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now that I've recovered from stuffing myself at my Mom's, it's time for a little fun.

The folks at ScentSicles were kind enough to send me some eco-friendly scented ornaments that make artificial trees smell real - and real trees smell that much better. And oh boy, do they smell a-ma-zing!

Made of natural fibers sourced from sustainable resources and infused with pure fragrance, ScentSicles offer a no-mess, no-flame, simple way to make artificial holiday greenery smell real. I was floored to find out they were made by a NASA scientist and happy to share that they are made in the USA. Even better - ScentSicles last for 30 days.

Okay, so who wants to get their hands on their very own ScentSicles gift box? The folks at ScentSicles were also kind enough to provide me with a gift box for one lucky winner!

To enter:

1. Become a follower of OkioBDesigns.Blogspot.com or let me know in a comment that you already are;

You can gain additional entries by:

1. Like Okio B Designs and/or ScentSicles on Facebook and let me know in a comment you did;

2. Follow @okiobdesigns and/or @scentsicles on Twitter and let me know in a comment you did;

3. Follow okiobdesigns and/or @scentsicles on Instagram and let me know in a comment you did;

4. Blog/tweet/Facebook about this giveaway and let me know in a comment you did.

Open to U.S. residents only (sorry!). I'll pick a winner via Random.org on Friday, December 5, 2014 at 5 p.m. EST.

For more information, visit ScentSicles.com. ScentSicles are sold nationally in Walmart, Target, Lowes and Michael's stores, among others. Good luck!

Jeanine

*I was provided a sample of ScentSicles, however, opinions are my own.*

8 comments

I bought a few ceramic Christmas houses at the Dollar store a couple of weeks ago. They had a lot to choose from, but I settled on these four.

Once I got them home, I immediately painted them white. It took 3-4 coats of spray paint for each house.

Over the weekend, I finally got around to adding some German glass glitter to the tops using Mod Podge.

Easy peasy and more suited to my tastes! I paired them with some mini bottle brush trees I found on Etsy last year.

For $4, I have some pretty new holiday decorations!

Jeanine

8 comments

I've been wanting to make Scrabble ornaments for our Xmas tree since last year. You've probably seen them all over Pinterest and in the blogosphere, so nothing really new here. I was just happy that I had everything I needed to make a few of them for this year.

I used an old ruler for mine, but I've seen crafters use everything from clothes pins to Jenga pieces (Susan at Homeroad!). I simply picked out some holiday-ish words and glued the tiles onto my ruler pieces.

I added some rhinestones to the snow and noel ones. Beer can tabs came in quite handy for this project: I used them on the backs so I could add my baker's twine.

This project literally took me 15 minutes from start to finish. Can't wait to add these to our tree in a couple of weeks!

Jeanine

2 comments

An upcycled violin ornament.

My 9 year old plays the viola and he picked this up at a garage sale over the summer. I painted it white, added some glass glitter and a hand-stamped noel tag. Waiting to be added to our Christmas tree.

Happy White Wednesday!

Jeanine

3 comments

When I saw these mugs at the Dollar store last week, the wheels immediately started turning.

I broke out some faux moss (from a previous Dollar store trip), tea-stained seam binding and some of my hand-stamped French candles.

Add them altogether and you get a quick Xmas touch to add to a bookcase, shelf or, in my case, a staircase.

It adds just the right touch of holiday-appropriate colors: white, red and green.

And it's a super affordable way to add to your Xmas decor!

Jeanine

6 comments

I picked up this little apothecary jar at a church fair last weekend. When I saw it, I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.

Voila! I added white and gold buttons galore. I never realized just how many buttons I've accumulated through the years! There are probably anywhere from 750-1,000 buttons in there.

I also added an I heart Paris bracelet and faux string of pearls to the mix.

The tea-stained seam binding was the finishing touch. So excited that now I have a pretty way to display my buttons!

Jeanine

7 comments

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at Walmart. I stopped in there yesterday and grabbed some of their skeleton key ornaments ($1.97 each). You can see the before picture on my Instagram - kind of a gunmetal color. I decided to give them a Frenchie makeover.

I gave each a couple of coats of spray paint. It was actually pretty mild here today, so I was able to get some outdoor painting in.

While the paint was drying, I made some pendants using some French dictionary paper. One reads joyeux and the other noel. I also hand-stamped an enamel tag with a festive star.

Because I removed the thread used to hang the keys before painting them, I had to find something else to hang them with. Some vintage lace to the rescue!

I then used some grungy red safety pins to attach my pendants and tag to the lace.

I can't wait to hang these for the holidays! What's nice is I can switch out the pendants to use them for other holidays or if I decide to keep them displayed all year.

Happy White Wednesday!

Jeanine

4 comments

I always pick up cinnamon sticks for the holiday season. We love adding them to a pot of water and simmering them all day, so the delicious aroma fills the house. This year, I bought a little extra so I could do this...

My hubby cut them into little pieces for me. I then tied them in little bundles using holiday-ish fabric - you might remember the fabric from the church fair I went to a couple of weeks ago.

I added a little faux snow to the bottom of the jar, and a vintage-inspired noel flashcard I made last week.

This could make for a pretty holiday centerpiece or you could display it on a bookcase or counter-top. Sadly, I'm packing it away until the end of the month when I'll officially start my Xmas decorating. Can't wait!

Jeanine

4 comments

Remember that little wood desk I picked up last weekend?! Here's the before:

And here's the after:

I almost threw in the towel for this project. First, I tried to spray paint it white. No good. Then I used some old chalk paint that got a little gloopy. No good.

Yesterday I picked up some fresh chalk paint and it covered my mess perfectly! I used Omni Gel to add this great French graphic (courtesy of the Graphics Fairy) to the front. I'm so glad I didn't have to toss it and that I have a pretty place to store some of my fabric pieces.

Jeanine

5 comments

A few holiday and Pinterest-inspired projects for White Wednesday.

Maybe I should say off-white Wednesday?!

Either way, happy Wednesday!

Jeanine

2 comments

My favorite church thrift store had a holiday fair over the weekend. It's like one giant garage sale and I always find some great pieces. This year did not disappoint.

I spent about $6 on everything and my haul included some festive fabric squares and this wood desk top.

I also grabbed these bags of Poly-Fil. One (wo)man's half full bag of Poly-Fil is my treasure!

I never pass up holiday gift labels. These were 50 cents each. They will definitely come in handy!

I'm most excited about this wood piece. I'm planning to paint it white and add a pretty French graphic to the top.

It supposed to get warmer again here this week and I plan on making the most of it in terms of outdoor painting. Stay tuned for the after!

Jeanine