Okio B Designs

We have a week and a half to go before school starts here and much to my boys' chagrin, I created a little back-to-school vignette.

Of course, the pieces I used sadly can't be found in any classrooms today.

I have everything displayed on the vintage desk we have in the dining room. The vintage cursive image is from the Graphics Fairy. Everything else I already had in the house.

I added the vintage ink well and grungy Scrabble tiles to a cloche I have propped on a stack of old Bobsey Twins books.

I picked up the thermos last week at a garage sale. There's a debate in the house as to whether the little salt shaker looks like a tomato or an apple. It's actually a tomato but I'm using it as an apple.

I even found a French instruire (to teach, instruct) flashcard in my stash to display.

Sorry boys, but Mommy loves her little back-to-school vignette.

Jeanine

2 comments

Apparently there are 77 days until Halloween. I get a little reminder from one of the accounts I follow on Instagram.

And then I start to panic: only 77 days until Halloween?! Not really, well maybe just a little. So then I start whipping up some spooky creations like these peat pots.

I printed the vintage black cat and jack o' lantern onto cardstock. I tied them on using orange tea-stained seam binding. Then I just added some Halloween appropriate pieces like the 31 tag, boo carnival tickets and faux frozen Charlottes.

For the smaller ones, I added some really old and grungy Scrabble tiles spelling out Boo and RIP. Each pot also has some Dollar Store faux moss to keep things in place.

I have a couple more in the works and plan to use them for place settings for my Halloween table.

Jeanine

1 comments

My kids head back to school September 1st. Like so many others, they are not looking forward to it. Every year I try to make it a little more exciting and toss something cool into their backpacks.

This year it's Fiskar's Designer Scissors. Seriously, how cool are they?

According to the company:

"Fiskars scissors have been in classrooms for years, but with refreshed Designer Non-Stick Scissors, students and teachers will be eager to update their tools. From space-inspired designs to scissors decked with flowers, Fiskars’ kids scissors are not just safe and durable but fashionable, too. The trendy, kid-selected patterns are sure to appeal to kids’ unique styles."

I couldn't agree more. Both of my boys will be toting these back to school with them next month. I'm secretly keeping the middle one for myself. Shhhhhh...FYI, the scissors have a suggested retail price of $5.50 each and can be found at retailers including Staples, Target and Walmart.

Jeanine

Note: I was provided with samples of Fiskars Designer Scissors, however all opinions and text are my own.

1 comments

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw an Estate Sale sign around the corner from my house this morning. I haven't been able to hit many garage sales this summer and the ones I have gone to haven't had anything I'm looking for. I think I did pretty well this morning.

Vintage salt shakers. Yes, both are for salt but the S is so faded on one of them that you could easily use it as a pepper shaker. I love the plaid thermos. I'm hoping to start a collection this year.

You know me, I never, ever pass up vintage sheet music.

These candle holders are perfect for a design I have in mind for Halloween.

This entire haul cost me less than $10. Yay!

Jeanine

3 comments

And so it begins...

I checked some posts from this time last year and wouldn't you know it, like clockwork, I started some Halloween projects. This skull tea towel is my first of the season.

I used some muslin and pre-made ruffle trim that I picked up last month at Hobby Lobby. The image is from The Graphics Fairy and is one of my faves for Halloween.

First, I used TAP paper to transfer my image onto the muslin. Once that cooled, I sewed the ruffle trim to the bottom of the front panel of my towel.

I love that it's creepy and feminine all at once.

Jeanine

4 comments

I got a few minutes of free time last night to make this quick, cute laundry bag.

I picked up the bag from Michael's a few months ago. It sat and sat while I tried to figure out what type of image I wanted to add to it.

I knew I was going to hang it in the bathroom, so I didn't want anything too girly (given that I'm outnumbered in my house!). I chose this great image from The Graphics Fairy to use.