Okio B Designs

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

1 comments

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

2 comments

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