Okio B Designs

So our upstairs carpeting was completed today. Yay! While I was milling about the house waiting for them to finish, I started tinkering with some of my cloches and other glass pieces. Since all of our holiday goodies are packed away now, I was shopping the house for quick ways to update.

This is how my faux mantel looked for the holidays. And here it is now.

Less cluttered and more simple. Blue and white hues.

For this cloche, I added some embellished match boxes.

This one has a Frenchy votive. Sorry about the glare! You know how it is with glass and sunlight. ;)

I added an urn with faux moss to this one.

And of course I started playing around with some ideas for Valentine's Day.

My husband just scratches his head. But I remind him that love isn't just for Valentine's Day - it's for everyday!

Jeanine

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Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Believe it or not, our decorations are down and already packed away. We're gearing up for some much-needed home improvements and can't spare a moment. I was able to get a few items done and added to my Etsy shop before the madness ensues.

Tags, tags and more tags! French ones.

Religious ones.

And yes, even Valentine's Day ones.

That's all I've been able to get to. The hubby is home until January 2nd and I've got to use the extra set of hands while I can. New carpeting coming tomorrow. A livingroom and diningroom await fresh coats of paint. And don't even get me started on the clutter.

I'm determined to start 2014 organized!

Jeanine

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Taking a few days off from blogging and wanted to wish all of my bloggy friends a very merry Christmas!

Jeanine

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I don't know about you but Goodwill's been a bust for me lately. With Christmas right around the corner, I've been trying to avoid the stores and work with what I have lying around the house.

I've been saving these bottles (mostly salsa ones!) for a few weeks now. Yesterday, I decided to embellish them. I broke out some French book paper, lace, baker's twine and some charms.

I got busy gluing and wrapping and tying. Giving each one its own personal touch.

This one is dressed up with an image from the Graphics Fairy and a burlap flower.

This one holds a French flashcard. The word in French is knife of all things.

Then I added some carnival tickets for a pop of color.

I just love embellishing bottles. And the best part is always using what you already have on hand!

Jeanine

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Truth be told, we don't do a lot for New Year's Eve. I, for one, do not like being on the roads when there are a lot of people out drinking. We usually stay in as a family and eat all sorts of goodies as the night goes on. This year, our boys asked if they could stay up late with us. How can I say no?

We have some festive hats and horns from about 10 years ago lurking in the attic. And that's about it. So I've been trying to come up with different ideas to make it more fun for the boys.

Not sure if this is what they'd call fun but it's a first attempt. I made the "medallion" using vintage sheet music. I printed out some French script on cardstock and then used my Cricut to cut it into a circle for the middle.

Then I hand-stamped 2014 on the front. Finishing touches include glitter, a wood stick and some ribbon. Again, I'm not sure if this is something that will get them excited but it will make for a nice addition to whatever New Year's Eve decor I can come up with between now and then.

Wish me luck!

Jeanine

3 comments

If you've flipped through a recent Pottery Barn catalog, you've probably seen where they cover a wall with vintage book paper. I love that look and would be ecstatic to do something like that in our house, but I don't think my husband would go for it. Plan B: give a vintage chalkboard a similar look.

This is the chalkboard before. Pretty ugly, no? I bought it a couple of years ago with the intention of adding black chalkboard paint to it. Um, clearly that never happened. Fast forward and here it is now.

I used a variety of vintage dictionary and book paper. I made a quick 2014 Wish banner to the top and then printed wish and dream onto vintage sheet music and added that to the mix.