Okio B Designs

Are you squealing with excitement that Christmas is only a few weeks away?! I know I can hardly contain myself. And it's certainly felt like 'tis the season here lately. It's been sooooo cold. Since I'm not a winter girl, I've been content staying in the house and breaking out some decorations and putting together Christmas-inspired vignettes like the one above.

And I've been busy crafting. How do you like this Dollar Tree ornament after my embellishments? I added the snowflake, merry stickers and French "presents."

Or what about these petite sheet music chalkboard ornaments? The chalkboards were a thrift store find. I added the vintage Christmas sheet music (using Mod Podge) and sticker embellishments.

This one is my favorite. I made a faux canvas sign using a window shade, two pieces of wood and some sticker paper. I gave it a Rae Dunn look using DaFont's Skinny font. I simply added the phrase to a word document and printed it out on clear sticker paper. Super easy!

I also updated our kitchen message board, lol.

We've put up two out of our three trees. I'll be sharing those shortly in another blog post. It's definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas over here...and I'm loving every minute of it!

Jeanine

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Raise your hand if you've already started some Christmas projects. I just can't resist! I know Thanksgiving is next and blah, blah, blah, but when you've got the itch, you need to scratch it.

First up are these wood tree ornaments. I grabbed a pack of plain pre-cut trees from Dollar Tree. I embellished them with vintage sheet music, Scrabble tiles, faux pearls and whatever else I had in my craft room. I can't wait to see them hanging from our tree this year!

Next up are these Jenga block ornaments. First I painted the blocks white. Then I sanded and hand-stamped a variety of holiday-inspired phrases. This is the before.

And this is the after - after some embellishments and tea-stained seam binding.

And who can resist some holiday retail therapy?! Both of these pieces are from our local Walmart. I love, love, love the buffalo check! I've also been stalking Target. Their Dollar Spot Christmas goodies are amazing this year! I'll be sharing my finds in a separate post. So stay tuned...

Jeanine

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Sharing a sneak peak of the USPS' holiday stamps. Seems everyone is catching on to the farmhouse spirit these days. Seriously, how pretty are these stamps?!

According to the post office: displayed on a door, in a window or over a mantel, wreaths are symbols of joy and celebration, inviting the spirit of the season into the home. Inspired by the holiday decorating traditions of early America, the four wreaths featured on these stamps are classic yet contemporary. Their designs create feelings of warmth and welcome.

The four styles include:

The ribbon wreath is inspired by French floral art. Aspidistra leaves, folded and manipulated to resemble ribbons, create a long-lasting wreath;
Gilded pinecones and magnolia pods grace the wreath trimmed with cranberry red ribbon;
Red and gold ribbon adorns the wreath made from gilded dried hydrangea, eucalyptus and nandina foliage, red berries and small ornaments;
The woodland bush ivy and red winterberry wreath presents a classic red and green palette.

The post office will issue the stamps in booklets of 20. Be sure to ask for them at your local USPS office. Can't wait to get mine!

Jeanine

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Last weekend, we hopped in the car and took a short ride to Tarrytown, NY to visit Lyndhurst Mansion. If you're not familiar with it, Lyndhurst is a gothic revival mansion that was once home to Jay Gould, William Paulding and George Merritt.

Lyndhurst was on my list of things to do since last year! They did a marvelous job dressing it up for Halloween. I got a ton of ideas for next year!

This is in the foyer. But it gets better...

The "sitting room."

How'd you like a seance with these creepy characters?!

The dining room. Note to self: stock up on velvet for next Halloween.

The fireplace in the dining room.

Stained glass window overlooking the property.

How's this for a view?

If you're in NY or popping by on a cruise, definitely check out Lyndhurst Mansion. It was gorgeous. I hear they do an even more spectacular job for Christmas.

Jeanine

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The autumn and Halloween decorations are in full swing here. It truly is my most favorite time of year.

And it finally (!) feels like fall here. {Target Pumpkin with Dollar Tree harvest sign.}

I can't believe Halloween is a mere three weeks away. Are you ready for it?! {Creepy Halloween sheet music. Available in my Etsy.}

I don't want to rush it. For once I want to enjoy the here and now. {Mason jar lid pumpkins.}

I want to take in all the colors of the season and breathe in the fresh, crisp air. {Hand-stamped book stacks.}

I want to take it slow...{Black Cat Tavern sign from Target.}

Jeanine

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Stay tuned as I'm working on enabling purchases of my Etsy goodies right here on the blog. Simply, look for the PayPal and Add to Cart option on my sidebar. Items available will be linked in my posts.

It's going to take a few days to get everything up and running, but I'm super excited to be adding this option as Etsy has been getting a little tricky as of late.

Jeanine