Okio B Designs: 2016

Wishing all of my bloggy friends a safe and happy new year! May all of our dreams come true in 2017.

Jeanine

Just when you think you're done with your Christmas projects for the season, along comes a cute little printable on Pinterest that gets the juices flowing again.

C'mon, how cute is this sno {sic} balls sign?! You can't see but it also says $1.00 underneath the text. I printed it out and just used Mod Podge to add it to this "crate" I had spruced up last year. I added some Polyfill, faux glass balls and done!

I was ready to toss these little jars last week, but something stopped me. I'm glad I kept them because they look super festive now with some faux snow, rusty bells and Scrabble letters.

This one has Santa and some rusty bells tucked in as well.

I guess the moral of my story is: when it comes to Christmas crafts, never say never.

Jeanine

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Sharing some sweet Joyeux Noel candles I made. I expect the next two weeks to be crazed, so I was happy to steal some time yesterday to work on what makes me feel less crazed.

Jeanine

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I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Oprah can do a My Favorite Things round-up, so can I. =) Here's just a few things we're hoping to find under the Okio B Christmas tree this year.

(Photo courtesy of J. Crew)

I'm so in love with this Zebra Sweater from J. Crew. Festive enough for Christmas and New Year's Eve, but not too holidayish for everyday wear.

(Photo courtesy of Lands End)

My husband has been hinting for a new robe. This one from Lands End looks comfy and perfect for lazy winter weekends.

(Photo courtesy of World Market)

These napkins from World Market would look divine on my Christmas table. They also have dish towels with the same design. I want those too!

(Photo courtest of Birch Lane)

And for our front porch, how adorable is this ski sign from Birch Lane? The bunny slope is about my speed. Love the vintage look and feel.

(Photo courtest of Revell)

Can't forget my boys. Both love the new Star Wars movies (well, we haven't seen Rogue yet), so I know they would be thrilled to unwrap any of these SnapTite Build & Play model sets. Find them at Toys R' Us, Hobby Lobby or on Amazon.

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

Jeanine

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Sharing a few more Christmas additions to the house.

This little vignette is on my porch. I try to change it up each year. Last year I had a hot chocolate "bar." This year it's about peace.

I added some vintage paper scrolls and greens to this pitcher. Love the way it looks on this vintage scale in the kitchen.

These were actually inspired by Decor Steals. They had something similar available a few weeks ago. I had the candlesticks and faux moss, so I made my own!

And I just can't let the season pass without using some Scrabble letters. I dressed this one up with some vintage calendar tiles and a faux Frozen Charlotte.

Still haven't put up our tree yet because of the cats. Something tells me though that it will be up this weekend when two little boys ask again.

Jeanine

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...Christmas!

I actually started adding a few pieces here and there over the past week. But today, we are in full Christmas decoration mode.

I am trying (keyword in the sentence: trying) to keep things a little more simple this year.

Between two boys, two cats and my husband, someone or something is always messing with my decorations. Grrrr...

So I'm not going to get frustrated this year. I'm just doing more with less.

I'm finding new ways to display old favorites and utilizing different spots to place my Xmas goodies.

Our tree is not up yet as I'm afraid the cats will knock it down. Again. Like last year. So another week or so before we tackle that.

For now, I have this one set up in my tea-room/she-shed. I can admire it out there without the worry of a kitty (or two) knocking it down.

Jeanine

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Wishing all of my bloggy friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Jeanine

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While I haven't officially started decorating for Christmas yet, I am craving the scents of the season. Cinnamon, Balsam Fir, Winter Pine - you name it, I love it. So I found three simple ways to add the sweet aroma of the holidays to our house.

First up is this eco-friendly dish soap from ECOS: Earth Friendly Products.

Their limited edition holiday DishmateTM dish soap is available in a fresh Winterpine scent. (Ecos.com; $3.49). My dishes and kitchen have never smelled so festive!

I always stock up on cinnamon sticks before the holidays. I simply break them in half, add them to a pot of water and simmer on my stovetop for hours. Sometimes I sprinkle a little ground cinnamon on top for good measure. These were $1.00 per pack at The Christmas Tree Shops.

Last up is this Evergreen Forest candle from Everyday Lune. I picked it up from Marshall's ($6.99) and OMG, it made the entire house smell like a fresh-picked Christmas tree. We've been using an artificial tree for years now, so this is a welcome scent in our home. It brings back memories of the real trees we always had in my childhood home for Christmas.

How do you make your home capture the scent of the season?

Jeanine

Note: I was provided a sample of ECOS dish soap for review; however all text, opinions, etc. are my own.

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Sharing a few more Xmas tart tins I made last week. Told you I was slightly obsessed with making these!

While some of my friends on Instagram are already decorating for Xmas, I'm content just crafting and planning on where to display these when the time comes. The little reindeer and feed sack are from Michael's. Had everything else I needed.

These guys are also from Michael's. I added the 25 Bingo chip and faux moss.

I have (eep!) one tin left. I gave some to my 9 year old so he could make his own. He used Lego pieces for his and they came out quite cute. I'm still figuring out what to do with my lone survivor...

Jeanine

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I bought a bunch of tart tins from our local thrift store a couple of weeks ago.

They were too new for what I had in mind, so I searched Pinterest for a recipe on how to age them. Some vinegar, salt and water gave me exactly the look I was going for, so I could turn them into...

Xmas magnets!

I used random pieces to get three different looks. This one is my favorite.

Or is it this one?

I can't decide. Each has its own little personality.

I must confess: I'm a little obsessed with making these now and have some others in the works.

Jeanine

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Wishing all of my bloggy friends a very happy Halloween!

Jeanine

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I know Monday is Halloween, but who isn't already thinking about Christmas projects? I know I am.

I'm battling my first cold of the season, so I had some down time this week to do some crafting.

I used an old spaghetti tin to make this pretty. First I added some sheet music as my background. Then I picked the pretty French image (from the Graphics Fairy) and glued that on the sheet music.

Next came the fun part - and I do say that with a touch of sarcasm. I added some cheese cloth to the front of the image. Not exactly an easy task to do while handling a hot glue gun. Ouch! I then added some lace, burlap trim and buttons.

My finishing touch was the Scrabble letters to spell out Noel.

Happy to say I had everything I needed on hand for this quick Xmas project.

Jeanine

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I'm happy to report that I have FINALLY figured out why I couldn't comment on many of your blogs. And it did not take a Ouija board to do it. Something to do with enabling cookies, java script and a whole lot of other techie words I don't know. Anywho, I fixed it and am ready to roll again!

Jeanine

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I have been woefully neglecting my Etsy shop of late. Sure, I've been fulfilling orders, but I haven't had a chance to add too many new items.

Over the weekend - in between playdates, sleepovers and giving our garage a must-needed fall cleaning - I spent time whipping up some new items.

I love lavender sachets, so I broke out my stamps and ink for these two designs: a country bunny and the White Rabbit.

I also used the country bunny stamp to make some quick, new tags.

It felt good creating some new items for the shop.

Jeanine

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I dressed up our tea room/she shed last week. Here she is all dolled up for Halloween.

Remember those thrift store frames I found last week? Here they are in all their creepy glory. The Ouija board was a garage sale find. I made the bottles and chalkboard frame a couple of years ago.

Here's another look.

Glad I got her all decorated because this past weekend is a blur between pumpkin picking...

And getting the boys' costumes at the Spirit Halloween store. I couldn't resist these Ouija board mints. The mints are awful but the tin is a keeper. I've already added it to my indoor Halloween decor.

Jeanine

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Once the cooler weather starts, I love to curl up on the couch under a blanket with a good book. This week I had two great books to read.

It's not secret that I am a HUGE fan of Ikea. I love trolling Pinterest for IKEA hacks (seriously, don't you too?!). I Modify IKEA by Elyse Major and Charlotte Rivers offers a ton of ideas that I'd never seen before in easy to follow DIY instructions.

I mean, c'mon, how cute is this pouf? You can make it by using three Signe rugs (along with some other non-IKEA supplies).

Or how about this window seat using an Applaro bench. The bench is only $60. I think this will be the first project I tackle as I've been wanting to add a bench for under our stairs in the basement. And that's only a small fraction of what I Modify IKEA ($24.99, Ulysses Press) has to offer.

Now it's also no secret that I can't draw. I can craft, create, paint, etc., but drawing is not my strong suit. But with Draw Like This! by Christopher Locke, maybe it can be!

This quirky, hand-drawn guide provides a series of fun, easy-to-follow "exercises" and plenty of room to practice. I'm going to try the skeletal structures for some Halloween-inspired decorating.

My boys love the ink blots and have been creating their own.

Seriously, Draw Like This! ($16, TarcherPerigee Paperback) has everything you need to develop or enhance your artistic skills.

Both would make great holiday gifts!

Jeanine

Note: I was provided copies of I Modify Ikea and Draw Like This! for review. However, all opinions, text, photos are my own.