Okio B Designs

This year is the first time in years that we won't be away for July 4th. So I'm kind of going to town on the decorations.

This is our cozy Cape Cod and beloved porch. I love decorating it each season/holiday. The burlap banner is from Walmart. I grabbed it last year and I'm surprised at how sturdy it's been. I have one hanging on each side of the porch.

We painted the porch swing red last year and it really works well with the decorations.

This cabinet was a roadside find. Scroll through previous posts and you can see its before and after. It's the perfect size to display some of our festive goodies.

The little red wagon is from Hobby Lobby. I'm using it to display some red, white and blue candles. I think it's my favorite piece on the porch.

More reds and some Dollar Store pieces. I'm still adding more pieces, but so far I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.

Jeanine

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Inspired by my friend, Susan from Homeroad, I whipped up some quickie, patriotic, mini pillows last night.

We were away for Memorial Day weekend, so I had a bunch of Dollar Store mini flags that were just sitting around. With Flag Day and the 4th of July right around the corner, I decided to make a couple of these adorable mini pillows.

First, I ironed the flags to make them flat. Then I carefully removed the staples holding them onto their sticks. I chose Osnaburg fabric for the backing and cut it to size. A few stitches from the sewing machine and some stuffing, and voila! - mini American flag pillows!

Jeanine

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Today I'm sharing a quick makeover I gave to this thrift store wooden "frame." I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see the full transformation. It was a really ugly turquoise hue. So first things first, I gave it a few coats of white spray paint.

Once the paint was dry, I gave it a good sanding. Next I added some vintage sheet music to the back. It's hard to see, but that is a touch of French book paper on the bottom.

I plan on using it as a shadowbox of sorts, so I added some random embellished match boxes and a small bottle. I'm still playing around with it, but overall I'm loving the new look!

Jeanine

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Now that spring is in full swing, I've been busy doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. So many random projects going on at one time and I'm loving every minute of it!

First up is this wood cheese board. This is the before. Yuck! I gave it a few coats of white spray paint. I found a great French image on The Graphics Fairy and added it using waterslide decal paper. Above is the after. Can you believe it's the same piece?

I added a French touch to some Dollar Store erasers while I was on a conference call during the week. You know how those can go...Yawn! I simply broke out my Staz On ink and got to stamping using different French rubber stamps I have.

I also dressed up these petite French laundry hangers too. It's hard to tell, but I added some Carte Postale wording to them.

And then I painted an old chalkboard, attached some twine with chalk and added it to my tea room/she-shed for a whimsical touch.

Last but not least, I added some tied clothes pins to this ceramic berry dish ala Miss Mustard Seed.

All this plus my day jobs, being a mom & wife and exercising. No wonder I'm pooped!

Jeanine

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I picked up these Pier 1 wood charger plates from our local thrift store months ago. I finally got around to spray painting them white two weekends ago. And then they sat for a few days...until today.

After sanding them down a little for a more aged look, I broke out some Waterslide Decal Paper and searched up some of my favorite French bee graphics.

If you've never used Waterslide Decal Paper, you basically print out your image on the sheet (I used inkjet paper because that is the type of printer I have, but they also make it for laser printers). I was able to get both of my images onto one sheet. Before using it, you'll need to give it a few coats of clear spray paint to preserve the image.

Once that's dry, simply add to a bowl of water (be sure to cut your image to size first!) and in a matter of seconds, your image will separate from the backing and be ready to use. Add it to your piece and smooth out any air bubbles. It needs to be wet to adhere. Once it's dry, it's basically like a clear sticker.

Here is one of them on my nightstand. It's exactly the look I was going for! You can find Waterslide Decal Paper on eBay and Amazon.

Jeanine

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It's almost here! The weather forecast is for spring-like weather this weekend and I'm ecstatic. Perfect timing too for this sweet spring sign I whipped up earlier this week.

I used a frame that I found at our local thrift store and...paper! Yup, paper. I did not stencil those letters or use my Cricut. After I painted the frame white, I simply found a font I liked, spelled out my phrase and printed it out on plain white paper.

I cut it to fit my frame, broke out the Mod Podge and just glued it on. Seriously, it doesn't get any easier than that. And the best part is you can't even tell it's paper. Well it fooled my husband and two boys anyway.

I'm looking forward to starting some new projects this weekend so stay tuned!

Jeanine

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I know I've been a little MIA lately. I wish I had some fabulous reason - like I jetted off to Paris or that we won the lotto. Sadly, the reason is a lot less interesting. It's the weather.

I'm not a winter girl and this year's weather has certainly put me in a funk. I've had zero inspiration and zero energy. I've long suspected that I have SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I'm trying to shake it, but when they are forecasting snow - AGAIN! - it's hard to get back into your groove.

So where've I been? Home, working the day jobs, being a mom, posting on Instagram and perusing Pinterest. I did manage to put together this cute little Paris postcard wood plaque today. I found the Dreams Factory image on The Graphics Fairy. I simply printed it out on waterslide decal paper and added it to a wood plaque I had painted months ago.

And I put together his bucket of faux cotton for our livingroom. Not a lot, I know, but it felt good to do something creative. I'm hoping things will warm up in the next couple of weeks and I can get back to doing something I truly love. In the meantime, I'll just keep reminding myself: winter can't last forever...

Jeanine

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Run - don't walk! - to your nearest Dollar Store for these cute little buckets. I mean, seriously, how adorable are they? I picked up two which I plan on using on our porch or patio this spring.

And in other news, for some reasons your comments are not coming through on Blogger. I've been trying to figure out what the issue is to no avail. Until then, feel free to leave a comment on my Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter. Or shoot me an email at jeanineb4etsy(at)yahoo(dotcom).

Jeanine

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Have you seen Yoplait's new Oui Yogurts at your local supermarket?! I was drawn to the glass jars they are being sold in and since I've been on a health kick, I picked up two of their "French-style" yogurts.

Good yogurt, but even better jars to use for your craft projects! Goodbye Key Lime Pie and hello mini nest jars for Easter. I used two of my favorite French images (from the Graphics Fairy) and printed them onto clear label paper.

Simply peel and stick, and add whatever embellishments suit your fancy. I tied on some tea-stained seam binding for mine. Add some faux Dollar Store moss and petite eggs, and you have an instant Easter decoration.

I have mine on the kitchen windowsill.

Jeanine

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If you love the look of school metal lockers as much as I do, head to your local Walmart and pick these babies up! (Mine had them on clearance, so a set of 2 cost me $8.) Once you get them home, use a hot glue gun and enamel tags to add a fresh touch! This project literally took 5 minutes and I love the look. Fun and functional for our family room.

Jeanine

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Anyone else itching for spring? I really can't complain. It hasn't been a terrible winter here. We had one major snowstorm. Still, this time every year I start getting cabin fever and just want to be outside.

While I wait for the official start of the season, I started working on some spring-inspired projects. This little black wood frame is from Kohl's (you might remember the other one I did with a B monogram). I decided to give it a quick spring makeover using my Cricut and this little bird's nest.

I cut out the letters for nest onto sticker paper and then carefully added them to the frame. I used my hot glue gun to place the bird's nest on top. Done and done!

And now I have a sweet new piece for spring.

Jeanine

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I've been experimenting with my Cricut and adhesive-backed vinyl lately. I purchased a few new cartridges from Amazon and couldn't wait to experiment with them. First I painted this random wood piece from a flower press. I simply painted it white and then used the Anna's Fancy Lettering cartridge to spell out home.

It got a little tricky peeling off the letters and getting them even on the wood, but I think I did a pretty good job for my first attempt.

Using a 99 cent wood board from Kohl's (less than 99 cent since I used my 30 percent off coupon!) and the Monogram Motifs Cricut cartridge, I made this pretty B monogram board.

I used regular label paper for this one, and added the enamel number tag for a French market look. Again, a little tricky using such sticky paper, but once you get the hang of it, it's super easy.

I'm working on a third sign as we speak! Affliate links are below.

Both of these were added to my mini basement gallery wall.

Jeanine

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Ever feel like your front door is missing a little something-something?! Once our Christmas decorations came down, I was struck by how boring our front door looked.

I got a dose of inspiration when trolling Instagram one day and saw this adorable hello sign. It's from Etsy Seller LittleTouchofHeaven1. It's a die-cut piece of wood that came unpainted. No problem for me! Once it arrived, I gave it a few coats of black spray paint and had it on my front door in one day. Yes, one day!

I'm loving the look and it really gives our front door a touch of personality. Best of all it was under $10 including shipping! When you have a chance, make sure you check out this amazing Etsy shop!

Jeanine

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I've been doing a little of this and a little of that lately. First up is this Alice in Wonderland-inspired mini gallery wall I've been working on. This is one of the walls leading down to our basement. I've been snatching up little frames from the thrift store, painting them black and then adding my images.

Next up is this pretty French tray. I had already painted it white and it was lined with dictionary paper. I added white paper over the dictionary pages and then printed out my French graphic on cardstock. Now it has a fresh look that I think will look pretty for spring.

And then there's this wood plaque. It was a thrift store find. I painted it white and then used the Wax Paper Transfer Method to add my graphic (from The Graphics Fairy). Unfortunately I sanded a little too much and took off part of the graphic. Yikes! But the more I look at it, the more I like the worn look. So it's a keeper.

What have you been working on?

Jeanine

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Who else misses White Wednesday?!

Jeanine

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If you've been following my blog regularly, you probably know how much I adore vintage sheet music. It's one of my favorite pieces to work with.

Not only do I use it in my Etsy shop; I also use it in a lot of my crafts. It's perfect for adding that little something-something to an otherwise ho-hum project.