Okio B Designs

I know Monday is Halloween, but who isn't already thinking about Christmas projects? I know I am.

I'm battling my first cold of the season, so I had some down time this week to do some crafting.

I used an old spaghetti tin to make this pretty. First I added some sheet music as my background. Then I picked the pretty French image (from the Graphics Fairy) and glued that on the sheet music.

Next came the fun part - and I do say that with a touch of sarcasm. I added some cheese cloth to the front of the image. Not exactly an easy task to do while handling a hot glue gun. Ouch! I then added some lace, burlap trim and buttons.

My finishing touch was the Scrabble letters to spell out Noel.

Happy to say I had everything I needed on hand for this quick Xmas project.

Jeanine

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I'm happy to report that I have FINALLY figured out why I couldn't comment on many of your blogs. And it did not take a Ouija board to do it. Something to do with enabling cookies, java script and a whole lot of other techie words I don't know. Anywho, I fixed it and am ready to roll again!

Jeanine

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I have been woefully neglecting my Etsy shop of late. Sure, I've been fulfilling orders, but I haven't had a chance to add too many new items.

Over the weekend - in between playdates, sleepovers and giving our garage a must-needed fall cleaning - I spent time whipping up some new items.

I love lavender sachets, so I broke out my stamps and ink for these two designs: a country bunny and the White Rabbit.

I also used the country bunny stamp to make some quick, new tags.

It felt good creating some new items for the shop.

Jeanine

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I dressed up our tea room/she shed last week. Here she is all dolled up for Halloween.

Remember those thrift store frames I found last week? Here they are in all their creepy glory. The Ouija board was a garage sale find. I made the bottles and chalkboard frame a couple of years ago.

Here's another look.

Glad I got her all decorated because this past weekend is a blur between pumpkin picking...

And getting the boys' costumes at the Spirit Halloween store. I couldn't resist these Ouija board mints. The mints are awful but the tin is a keeper. I've already added it to my indoor Halloween decor.

Jeanine

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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.