Okio B Designs

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.

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Whipped up these cute Halloween tags over the weekend.

I couldn't stop at just the tags, so I made some stickers too.

Both sets can be found in my Etsy.

Jeanine

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My brain is about to explode. Seems I'm having trouble leaving comments on your blogs.

I've visited quite a few bloggy friends' blogs in the last few days and I have to ask: are my comments showing up? My blog perpetually tells me to sign in. So I do. Then when leaving comments, I choose Google account to leave a comment - like I've always done. But now I notice it's not saying your comment needs approval before appearing and on certain blogs, my comments no longer immediately show up.

Any idea what's going on????? I left comments this morning on Homeroad, Pandora's Box and Southern Day Dreams. Ladies, do you see my comments?

Jeanine

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My Halloween projects are officially in full swing. This is a fun one. All you need is some black craft paint, Scrabble tiles, tile holders, Glue Dots, sand paper and some creepy embellishments.

I started by painting each tile holder black. Once they were dry, I sanded off some of the paint in random areas for a more aged look. Then I broke out my Scrabble tiles to see what words I could spell.

Once I had all my letters, I simple applied them using the Glue Dots. This is ideal because the tiles can be removed and the holders can then be used for your next project!

Then I just added random Halloween-ish items I already had in my craft room. Some got little pumpkins and a faux frozen Charlotte doll, while others got Bingo chips and vintage images found on The Graphics Fairy.

These were a big hit with my boys, and I must admit, I really enjoyed making them.

Jeanine

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I know it's Wednesday, but wanted to share Friday's thrifty finds.

I wasn't able to hit a lot of garage sales this summer, so I made up for lost time this past Friday. I found this great vintage scale, a variety of tart tins, a Mason jar and some ornate frames. I'm already searching for some creepy Halloween images to add to the frames.

The entire lot cost me $5!

Jeanine

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I'm not a big wine drinker, but thankfully a lot of my friends are. Thanks to many of them, I was able to create these creepy Halloween bottles.

I started by removing the labels from each bottle. I don't have Goo Gone, so I just used good old fashioned scrubbing and hot water. Once the labels were off, I gave each bottle 2-3 coats of black paint.

Once the paint was dry, I broke out some white candles and just started melting them over the tops of the bottles and down the sides.

You could add candles or leave them as is depending upon your taste. I picked up the orange candles from the Christmas Tree Shops ($9.99) over the weekend. I'll be using them on our porch once I start officially decorating for Halloween.

Jeanine

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Never mind the fact that it's like a bazillion degrees here today, I've got autumn on the mind. I added some fresh fall touches about the house earlier this week.

I have a tough time putting up wreaths on my front door. They have to be super skinny to fit between the glass door and wood door. This one is perfect though. Found it at Tuesday Morning ($12.99) and it's exactly what I was envisioning for the door.

I created an autumn vignette in the dining room on my little antique desk. The wheat is also from Tuesday Morning ($9.99) and the printable is from Pinterest.

How cute is this little cloche with mini pumpkins and other greens? I have three of them and dressed them each up for autumn.

I'm still working on this corner of my porch. Need some pumpkins and mums, but here's how it looks as of today.

Have you started decorating for autumn?

Jeanine

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I know I am! I have a can of orange spray paint and I know how to use it. =)

Jeanine

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My boys went back to school today. And you know what that means: in between tears and missing them, I'm back to blogging, creating, dreaming, etc. Stay tuned!

Jeanine

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If you follow Stampington & Company on Facebook like I do, you probably spied this photo last week. I thought to myself, "what a sweet and simple idea." So while I was at the Dollar Store today, I picked up two salt and pepper shakers and made my own version.

Seriously one of the easiest craft projects ever. I printed out lavande on plain white paper and then glued it to some French book paper. I glued both to the front of each shaker. I always have lavender on hand, so I just poured it in. Finish up with some twine and done!

This entire project cost me $2 - for the two shakers. How lovely would these be to gift to a special friend?!

Jeanine

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So remember a few months ago I mentioned I was going back to school? What I didn't mention is that I went to real estate school. Yup, yours truly is now a licensed real estate salesperson in the state of New York. It was hard juggling work, kids, crafting, life, etc., but I passed all of my tests and officially became licensed last week. I'll still be working my current job and crafting, but I'm excited to also embark on this new career as well. Wish me luck!

Jeanine

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I'm sure many of you, like me, receive a lot of product pitches via email. Some are clearly not a good fit for my blog, while others seem to hit the nail on the head. Case in point: Labor of Love Co.

I was beyond thrilled to receive one of their DIY Soy Candle Kits.

I love candles and I love DIY, so it was a match made in heaven. If you've never heard of Labor of Love Co., they offer a variety of curated DIY kits via their website (click link above) and Etsy shop. Their kits provide everything you need for the ultimate DIY experience.

The instructions are super easy to follow. They show you everything step-by-step.

For the candle kit, you receive the wax, fragrance oil, wicks, 2 Mason jars, stirrer and clothes pins. Seriously, it was easy peasy for a candle novice like me.

After melting the wax and adding the fragrance oil (I received Jasmine, yum!), I had my hubby help me pour it into each Mason jar.

After 24 hours you go from this...

Photo courtesy of Labor of Love Co.

To this.

Photo Courtesy of Labor of Love Co.

Such a smart idea and think about all of the gift-giving possibilities this holiday season. The Soy Candle Kit is $25. They also offer a DIY Gold Foil Tote Kit and DIY Gold Leaf Frame. I give Labor of Love Co. two thumbs up!

Jeanine

Note: I received a complimentary Soy Candle Kit for review, however, all opinions and text are my own.

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The past few days have been a bit of a blur. You see, our 11 year old fell last week and split his chin open. Fifteen stitches later, I'm still a nervous wreck.

Since he's taking it easy this week, I did the only thing that would calm my nerves: I crafted. I had some sachets hiding in my craft room. I broke them out and put my new RV/camper rubber stamp to good use and made some lavender-scented sachets.

I also made this cute little holiday one. All are in my Etsy.

In other news, coming home from my Mom's the other day, we spied this petite rocking chair in the garbage. See the broken piece? My husband swears he can fix it. So this will likely be my next project.

Meanwhile, the 11 year old gets his stitches out tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Jeanine

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I had my big state test on Tuesday, so for the past couple of weeks I've been studying non-stop. Studying does not leave a lot of time for crafting. Still, I was able to squeeze in a few random projects.

I bought these wood arrows from Etsy. They came un-stained; so I had my husband stain them for me. After a few coats, they were the exact shade I was looking for. We added them to a wall in our dining room.

I gave these little Dollar Store milk bottles a quickie makeover with some turquoise spray paint. They look so much better now!

I played around with this wall behind our front door too. It lacked personality with just the coat hooks looking back at us. So I added this cute Kohl's tote and a straw hat. It looks more inviting now.

I've also been doing some online shopping. I finally scored Decor Steals bread box. It's a little bigger than I anticipated. For now, it's on top of our fridge until I find a more permanent home for it.

Lastly, we took a quick trip to Gettysburg, PA. We had an awesome time camping out with the boys. Lots to do and see. We also learned a great deal about the Civil War. Everyone loved it and we agreed to head back in the fall for another visit.

That's about it. What have you been up to?

Jeanine

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Even though the weather forecast called for heavy rain, we ventured out to The Elephant Trunk (New Milford, CT) yesterday. Yes, the same flea market featured on the show Flea Market Flip.

All I can say is wow! It was amazing. But note the dark clouds in the sky. We got rained on several times. Still, we were all troopers. My eight year old barely complained. Barely.

So much vintage and antique goodness to be found.

I felt some of the items I was interested in were a bit overpriced, but my husband and boys scored a bunch of loot. Seriously, I only came home with a horseshoe. Sob!

I really wanted to take her home but with all the chips and cracks, I just didn't want to shell out the $12 (and considering I've gotten most of my religious statutes for free or in the $2 ballpark), I had to pass.

This booth was awesome. I loved the touch of the skull on the organ/piano. Creepy and cool.

The experience was great and well worth the 1.5 hour trip. We're planning another visit there for the fall.

Jeanine

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I bought this vintage chalkboard a couple of years ago at an estate sale. For a while, I covered the ugly green paint with sheet music and book paper.

Yuck, right?! I always knew I wanted to re-paint it with black chalkboard paint and this weekend was the perfect time to tackle this project. So I broke out the chalkboard paint and got busy.

Here it is now.

Using a chalk marker and stencil, I added my French graphics to the middle.

I have a few little spots I need to touch-up, but overall this baby's done! What's nice is the chalk marker is not permanent, so when my mood changes, I can change the look with it. =)

Jeanine