Okio B Designs

(image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy)

Happy first day of spring!

Jeanine

I don't know about you, but I'm not a huge fan of this time of year. Spring officially starts tomorrow - woo hoo. And yet the weather here says otherwise. I'm still cold and in a bit of a funk as a result. I started decorating for spring/Easter to help brighten my mood.

I haven't been able to paint much - because it's too cold. So I've been trying to stay crafty doing small paper projects here and there.

And working with what I already have in the house.

I can't wait for that first warm, 60 degree day here. I know it's coming, but I'm so impatient. Sigh!

Jeanine

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My boys are off from school this week, so I'm sharing some projects you may have already seen if you follow me on Instagram (@okiobdesigns). First up is this vintage book stack. I scored the books at our local thrift store and hand-stamped home sweet home on them. Simple but oh-so-sweet!

And speaking of books, this book worm desk sitter was supposed to be headed to my Etsy. However, I liked it so much, I just may keep it for myself! I used vintage Scrabble tiles in varying sizes and fonts.

This is another faux chalkboard sign. I used the same chalkboard background as I did for my eat sign that's nestled on my kitchen counter. For this one I chose another font from DaFont and typed Established 2001 on my chalkboard background. It took a while for my husband to realize the significance, sigh! Not only were we married in 2001, we also bought our house in 2001. Men!

Last up are these itty bitty, cheeky pillows. I'd like to say they were no-sew, but I did break out the sewing machine - in addition to iron-transfer paper - for these bad boys. I found the images on Pinterest and simply printed them on my transfer paper (don't forget to mirror your image!). A quick iron, sew and stuff, and I have them tucked into a vintage-inspired crate in our livingroom.

Once the boys go back to school, I'll be in full crafting mode again!

Jeanine

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Sharing an oldie, but goodie project today. It's perfect for any unused bathroom tiles you have laying around. This idea has been floating around the blogosphere and Pinterest for quite a few years now. If you haven't tried it yet, here's a quick tutorial.

All you need are some bathroom tiles, Mod Podge, a paint brush or foam brush, and some cute napkins. I got mine from Marshall's. Cut your napkins a little larger than your tiles. Napkins are usually 2- or 3-ply, so you'll want to peel back those layers until you have 1-ply.

Spread a layer of Mod Podge on your tile and then add your napkin on top - evening out any air bubbles that may form. Once that dries, you can trim off any excess. Next, add a layer of Mod Podge over your napkin. You can add as many layers as you want to seal the image, but I only added one.

Once that dries, add either a felt or cork backing to the bottoms to prevent the tiles from scratching surfaces. This project literally took an hour in total (most of it was drying time!) and now I've got some pretty new coasters!

Jeanine

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Sometimes it's nice to get back to basics. And that's exactly what I did with these French market candle holders. No fancy transfer methods. Just good ol' fashioned Mod Podge and some timeless images from The Graphics Fairy.

All I did was print out my images on regular white paper, cut to size and added a few coats of Mod Podge, and some embellishments. Easy peasy!

Same for this sweet lavender jar I made from a Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel jar. I used Goo Gone to remove the original label, washed out the jar and added my lavender buds. The image is also from The Graphics Fairy. I printed this one out on sticker paper and then just cut, peel and stick!

Although this wasn't rocket science, I'm still very pleased with my most recent upcyles!

Jeanine

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There is a fun, little secret behind this upcycled mini chalkboard. It is yet another thrift store find of mine. The backside is riddled with crayon marks, but that didn't stop me from seeing its potential.

I way lying in bed thinking about it - seriously! I was wondering how I could print out the word eat and add it to this little pretty. Clear sticker paper wasn't going to give me the look I wanted. Neither was Mod Podge.

Then it came to me! I clicked on over to Pinterest and found a chalkboard template. Using Windows Paint, I typed out the letters and hoped for the best after I hit print. And it worked!

Yes, you are looking at a faux chalkboard image! Amazingly it looks like the real thing and fit perfectly to size. All I did was glue it on and distress the edges of the wood frame. After patting myself on the back a few times for achieving the look I wanted, I quickly popped it into the wood tote on my kitchen counter. I'm love, love, loving how it came out.