Notes from A Cottage Industry

A little sign tutorial.

Okay, so it isn't really a little sign, but the tutorial is little...er...short.

Kind of.

And easy.

I've had this sign for...gosh...more than ten years. I was originally from a storefront somewhere in Virginia City, Nevada. It was green when I got it, and I painted it yet another green, with wording on it for a Billard room in my home way back when I was married. Later, I painted it black, and have been planning on painting a verse on it ever since.

I came upon the perfect verse, (Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life.)and decided exactly where I wanted to hang the sign around the first of the year. (This was in fact, one of the bajillion things on my Wanna-Get-Done list before the rush of Easter company, but...I ran out of time.)

I made time this past week, and I thought I'd walk you through the process. (I shared the process once before, a while back...here.)

Again, here's how I do it:

Decide what you want to paint on your sign.(A wooden headboard makes a perfect sign, as well as old doors from cupboards, or a plain ol' one by six...) Once you have done this, you are are ready to start creating.

1.I use my favorite cheap n' cheesy program, Printshop, from Broderbund. (It's an easy program that a non-techie gal like myself can learn easily, and it's affordable.) If you don't have  a Print Program, you can print your letters (words, quotes...) in WORD.

2. Tape the pages of paper together.

3. Rub chalk on the back side of the paper. If the sign is painted a light color, use colored chalk. 4. Place the verse, printed side up, on the sign, exactly where you want it.
5.Using an old fine tip felt pen, outline all the letters, pressing fairly firmly.

6. Remove the paper. (The chalk letters did not photograph well at all, but trust me, they're there...)
7. Paint each letter, coloring book style.

8. After the paint is dry, wipe the sign off with a damp sponge to remove all the excess chalk residue..
9. Step back and bask in the awesomeness of what you have created.
We hung our sign in the family room, above the shuttered sliding glass door.

(I must be honest here, and tell you that my Rock n' Roll Buddy didn't really "see" my vision at all on the idea of hanging the sign above the door, but he hung it for me anyway. )

(That's what I love about him.)

It's a straight shot to see it as you enter the house through the front door. You likey?

 

PS...I am linked to

Easter decor details...and an egg-citing surprise!

I wanted to share a bit of my my Easter decor, even if it is after the fact. (You know I meant to share all of this before the holiday, but time wasn't my friend.)

(I am guessing by now you are used to this, coming from me.)

So...Easter was our first real foray into semi-formal entertaining in our home for my Rock n' Roll Buddy and I. We jumped in with both feet, hosting not one, but two different meals this past weekend. Both events were relaxed, and a lot of fun.

We had his family over for an early supper on Saturday, and my family arrived for brunch Sunday morning.

So much fun!

I was in June Cleaver heaven.

(Seriously.)

Ralph had a pretty great time as well.

(I have to say it again. So much fun!)

I started off with a darling lil' idea I found through a friend, who shared a link of a party one of her friends did that made it to the fabulous Amy Atlas blog. (Thank you so much Sarah, for sharing that!! It was my most favorite part of the decorating!) Simple little pom-poms tied to the backs of each dining chair to create bunny tails. (I tied them to the stools at the kitchen counter as well, and I will have to add those pictures tonight!)....a word of advice: I used a furry-ish white yarn (Sorry, I don't knit or crochet, so I can't tell you exatly what it is called, but I got it at WalMart, and I thought it would look the most like a real bunny tail. Anyway, the yarn looks great, but...man, oh man. It sheds! I had little yarn hairs every where...on the table, on the floor...so consider this when selecting your yarn if you decide to try this idea yourself.
The table was done up pretty simply, with a square table topper I have had for a few years (made for me by the Sewing Queen, of course, complete with coordinating cloth napkins.) and a thrifted basket filled with silk ferns and a faux chocolate bunny and plastic Easter eggs. Our Easter dinner was pretty much traditional, with a honey glazed ham, roasted asperagus, potatoe salad, ambrosia salad, dinner rolls and sme yummy deviled eggs. Desssert was carrot cake and some dipped strawberries.

Easter Brunch the following morning was hearty, with eggs, ham, bacon, hashbrowns, fruit and creme' brulee French toast.....mmmmmmm. so good!

We did have one extra-fun surprise here during our Easter brunch! Carter gave everyone a plastic Easter egg and we all opened then up to find little yellow "Peeps" in them....
...except one of us. GiGi (The Sewing Queen) had a little blue Peep in her egg....looks like Carter and Coen are having a new baby brother at the end of summer!Check out some of the reactions here!)

 

I'm sharing this on the following Blog Parties...

Metamorphasis Monday

Easter touches that are egg-stra special. (and some FREE printables for you!)

Yeah, yeah, it's a pun.

(I couldn't help myself. Eggs..extra...eggstra....well, you get it.)

(heh heh. I crack me up sometimes.)

(Crack....more egg..er...eggshell...humor.)

Aaaaaah. Anyway.

I found this adorable (and so easy!) idea on Pinterest, and it got me thinking that it would make for fabulous invites to our families for Easter. (Did I tell you that we are hosting Easter? We are. In fact, we are hosting two Easter parties. Supper on Saturday for one crowd, and Easter Brunch for another. Sooooo fun!)

I'll be sharing all sorts of Easter decor, and menu ideas this week, and I'd love to read what all of you are doing!

Okay, let's get back to the cutie patootie invites, or Easter greetings if you prefer...(*note* I changed my mind about 16 times on the colors of ribbon and such, so the photos may not seem like they are from the same process, even though they are. I just didn't want to re-take pictures that many times!)

Here's how I did it:
I colored RAW eggs. Using a sewing needle, I then poked a little hole in one end, and a slightly larger hole in the other end.

I blew the egg out, into a bowl and use the eggs for baking later.

I assembled my boxes and filled them with shred. (I ordered my acrylic boxes online, which I usually use for boxing my cupcakes, but craft stores sell all sorts of cute boxes as well.)
You can print a message, an invitation, or whatever, on your computer (or write it by hand.)

I cut the message out, (An invitation, in my case)and rolled it up (I used a toothpick to get it started so it is a nice tight curl.)I inserted the message into the hollow egg.

I printed the two tags and cut them out. I used a tiny hole punch for the smaller tag, and a regular hole punch for the larger tag.
I tied a bow around the eggs with instructions to crack the egg open. Then closed the box and I tied a pretty bow around it with the other tag.
I packaged up the invitations that I needed to mail out of town, and hand delivered the local ones.

Feeling inspired, I made one more sample egg up to share another version of this idea with you. It's more vintage feeling, with a few lil' feathers and mocha shred. (This look is actually more my style, but I saw that bright apple-y green shred one day at WalMart and just decided to go for a more chipper-cheerful-springtime-y look...
I thought I'd share some tags with you here, so you can make some of these sweet lil' eggs up for yourself if you like. Click here to Download Open me and crack me open tags. Click here to Download HAPPY EASTER TAGS to roll up and slide inside your eggs, or to use as gift tags....

(gluing a white pom-pom over the bunny's tail makes a nice addition to this tag!)
I can't wait to share the tablescape for our Easter meals with you, along with the menus later this week!

Super fast and easy charming gift wrap job.

**Pardon the grainy photos..I used my old Generation-Whatever iPhone at work to snag these shots**...

I love fancy packages with beautiful gift wraps and ribbons and bows, but I have whittled down all of my gift wrap supplies these days. (smaller homes require creative thinking and more sensible purchases...) These days I have opted to go with a more neutral wrap job that can be changed with the color of tissue and the style of gift tag. I now use only brown craft paper (the kind you buy to mail packages in...) and I have a stash of two sizes of an oatmeal colored handled gift bag.

Yesterday I bagged up a gift for a friend that is retiring, and I wanted something charming and simple, but vintage looking and pretty. I got it all in about four minutes time. 

A bit of tulle, a strip of pale Robin's egg blue ribbon (My favorite! So yummy!) and a  hand written (with a fine point black marker)tea dyed manilla tag (I actually dye them in large quantities in a tub of uber hot instant coffee, and let them air dry on cake cooling racks.) Some matching blue tissue and a little sprig of milnery flowers from my collection finished it off.

If you keep your wrap supplies simple, and organized, it will be a snap to make any present look like a million bucks, and will make your recipient feel oh-so-special.

Everything in it's place and a place for every thing.

...and if you can make it cute, all the better. (.....you can quote me on that.)

I think a long time ago I shared with you that I collect greeting cards when I find ones I like, and I store them  in a lil' basket so I am ready at a moments notice with the perfect card for the right person,at just the right time... but I never actually showed it to you.

It started years ago with me accumulating a few extra cards...and a few more...and...well, at some point in time I realized I had so many cards that I needed to actually file them by event, so I could find them as I needed them. You know, birthdays, Christmas, Blank, etc... and that has worked really well for me. When ever I see a card I like, I buy it and put it in my card file so I will have it when I need it.

That was the original plan anyway. (And we all know what they said about the best laid plans...)

Over time, I have gotten sloppy, rushing in and plopping the latest cards into the front of the basket, thinking I'd put it in the correct category it later. After doing this a million and six a few times, I managed to create a pretty unorganized basket of cards. Something needed to be done, and I decided that today was that day.

As long as I was going to the trouble to reorganize, I might as well update the look of my system, I thought. Seriously, I am so over the hot-pink-with-screaming-taxi-cab-yellow labels I had created in the early 90's (I think this must have been around the time I was busy puff painting over-sized Tee shirts and sporting really big hair...)

I decided to go with a simple look, using my favorite old typewriter font. I printed my dividers on manilla folders that I cut to be the size of a sheet of computer paper.

All I did was set up 2 columns in WORD, and printed my paper in "Landscape". I cut the paper in half once it was printed and I was ready to put them in place. Within a few minutes I was back to being organized, and it all looked clean, tidy, and cute.

Now, let's see if I can keep it this way.

Easy window valance tutorial....

Both of my daughters inherited my love of decoratin. One of them redid her upstairs guest bath last week, starting with a fresh coat of paint, and cleaning the window (which had a bit of birdie poop on it that required climbing out the second story window to clean properly...)

Anyway, once things were completed, she was looking for an easy window treatment. I mentioned the cute crocheted lace runner valance I had created in ten minutes in my Barbi Condo kitchen....

We decided to give the same treatment to her cute little bathroom window.

 She had a few pretty cutwork runners, and we chose one that was about two thirds longer than her window was wide. We hammered small finishing nails at both ends ot the top of the window frame,...

 as well as one last nail up top in the center, then we folded the runner in half, length wise, and hung it from the center nail..

then pulled the runner fairly taunt and hung it from either end on the outer nails..

We fluffed the ends of the runner so it hung neatly and we were finished. It added a pretty touch to her cute window, and still let plenty of light in. If you're looking for a quick valance treatment for a kitchen, bath or mudroom, you might want to consider your own version of this treatment idea yourself!

A few well chosen words.

When you're entertaining, it's the littlest details that make things memorable. One of my favorite never-fail little details is so easy that I thought I'd share it here today.

 Whenever I am entertaining (or giving a gift, for that matter...) I google quotations for the event, or the person. For this past event I googled up love and engagement quotations. I found several that I liked, so I copied them in a simple font (courier) and printed them on a checkered background from my cheesy lil' print program.

I then cut them to fit in some of my simple black frames and added them to the buffet table...

It adds a bit of interest as well as color to the table, don't you think? It works just as well on gift tags, so remember this next time you are hosting a party or  wrapping a package!

Birthday decorations that won't break the bank, but WILL look like a million bucks.

Most of us are on budgets these days. Even people lucky enough to still have good paying jobs are dealing with the ever rising cost of gasoline and groceries. I've realized that I am having to live more creatively than ever before in order to still enjoy living my charmed life on a shoestring. Case in point...

Three birthdays within seven days,(One of my dearest friends from the biggest little city who coincidentally was up for a visit, my rock n' roll buddy, and my first born daughter!) and I wanted everyone's birthday to be special for them. You know, birthdays only come once a year, so they should be special. With a little thought, some scraps of paper and a little time, I had created lots of little touches that made the birthday clebrations fun. I thought I'd share them with you so that if you feel so inclined, you can make someone's day special too.

First of all, I made a fabulous Beatle inspired "You say it's your BIRTHDAY" banner that worked for all three of my birthday people. 

Another fun idea is to make a custom gift tag. I took the opportunity to borrow an old family photo my rock n' roll buddy had when he wasn't looking. I took it home and made a copy on my printer (never use an original photo for this!) and cropped the picture to become part of my gift tag on his presents. I matted the picture copy to piece of scrap book paper. I added a second tag to coordinate, and seriously, it took all of three minutes....the best part was that he loved the tag nearly as much as the gift, and he was surprised to think I had managed to borrow his old family photo, which made it all the more special. One more bit of fun was this lil' flag I made. You know I love flags on birthday cakes, pies...whatever...so this time I made my rock n' roll buddy his most favorite treat and took them down to his office.(By the way, I think his office mates enjoyed them as much as he did...)
Oh, yes. The fabulous lil' button adorned flag made the rice crispy treats a hit, taking them from ordinary to extraordinary! Stay tuned...Monday I'll share a few more birthday ideas!

 

Before and after....70's maple night stands get new life in 2011.

Oh, the wonders a girl can work with a little creativity and a splash of paint.

I found two matching 70's maple night tables at a thrift store a few weeks ago.
They were in great working condition, but they looked out dated and the tops were scratched. I removed the pulls, then primed the drawers and body.
Two coats of paint (because I was doing a charcoal black shade, mainly.)Viola'!
Reborn with a basic Pottery Barn look...all set to re-invent someone's bedroom, and it cost less than $25 to do both night tables, start to finish, including my purchase price of $12 per night table. You just can't beat that.

When life gives you lemonade, make a really cool vase.

Have you seen the pretty shaped bottles of lemonade they sell at a lot of grocery stores these days? My daughter had them at the baby shower she hosted last month, so I snagged a couple of them, and I was glad I did.

They have such a pretty shape,and there was an indention for the label, which made it so easy to trace by pressing a piece of vintage sheet music over the area, and tracing it. I then cut it out and glued it in place with a simple glue stick.

I added a vintage skeleton key and some ribbon around the top of the bottle neck and it was done. Perfect for serving water at a meal, or using as a fabulously charming bud vase, don'tcha think?

And...best of all, it was a totally free craft project.

Monkeying around with my favorite gift box, but with a different twist....er...bow.

Ya, ya... I am in the midst of moving...but last night I took just a few minutes to whip up another aodrable gift box (Remember the last one I did? Made from a generic photo box?) to hold a lil' prezzie for my bestie friend here in Stars Hollow Camas. Amongs other things, we watch quite a bit of TV together, and when I found a card that had a couple of monkeys watching television (The boy monkey with popcorn, and the girl with a magazine, no less...tell me that wasn't meant to be!) I had to buy it. I cut the picture from the card, matted it with a background paper...(As always, click on the photos here to see them enlarged for better viewing of details)
and glued it on top of a ribbon going across the top of the box (I used my glue gun to secure the wired ribbon). I then glued a second ribbon to the botom of the box and tied tow bows this time, one on each side..... I added a little personalized statement to complete the box top's look....and of course I put something in the file pull.
These boxes are just my latest most favorite thing (and I can't get over how classic the black always looks!) for doin' up presents, 'coz the possibilities are endless for the themes you can create, and they are so nice and sturdy. An added plus is that your recipient can then use the box for something else later...and think of you each time they look at it.

Okay, back to what I am supposed to be doing now...

The perfect little gift box.

Beyond my passion for baking, I love clever packaging to put my baking in (or any kind of gift, for that matter) when giving it to friends and family. I've discovered the perfect container for this use, and I wanted to share it with you. It's a simple photo storage box, available at places like WalMart, and all of the craft stores.

They come every which way you can imagine, printed with seasonal designs, or florals and plaids, and solid colors, (which is what I actually prefer) and I usually have a few extra on hand in my storage closet of my workroom. They are really sturdy little boxes, which is perfect when boxing up any kind of baked goods, and you can decorate them so that the box becomes an additional part of the gift. I especially love the little label-holding-pull on the end of the box, which can house a tag that has a person's name in it, or an appropriate saying, like Happy Birthday, Thank you, or whatever else you can think of to carry out your theme. The latest box I created was Halloween themed, as you can see. I found an anatomy diagram in one of my old books that was the perfect size for my box lid. (check out old books at thirft stores and yard sales. Vintage children's books are great for baby themes, and old cookbooks are perfect for a charming vinatge baking theme. Old books often have amazing photos and artwork that can be used in altered art, or for things like clever lil' gift tags and such ..the possibilities are endless!)

I added a ribbon to the box once I had my gifts inside, and the packaging was complete...(Now, how easy was that?)
....Anyway, i'm sharing this idea, because I'm thinking you might want to grab a few of these great boxes to keep on hand for creating some clever packaging yourself..the holidays are upon us, you know!

Halloween Hats...

 
I have been meaning to get these fun hats done for a couple of weeks now, and finally made them today. They are really easy, and inexpensive to create, and they make a great centerpiece for a table, as well as a hat to actually wear at a party or just to answer the door for the little trick or treaters on Halloween.

I used my easy starch method to cover simple party hats from the dollar store..... 
...let them dry, shaping them on top of an upside down pyrex bowl. Once dry, I used my glue gun to add crepe paper fringe and a small crow from the dollar store.
I printed little banners on matching orange paper and glue gunned that on to the hats as a final touch...easy, easy, easy.

Life is as sweet as we make it.

I was thinking last night as I was baking and decorating cookies for really sweet friend that it really takes so little to show someone that you think they are pretty darned special. It doesn't take an outrageous amount of money, or a lot of work. It just takes a little time, and a little effort. It's all about making the ordinary...extraordinary.

Mmmm hmmm, it's all in the presentation. A cute box or bag, some ribbon, a handmade tag and you're good to go. I buy these cute lil' acrylic boxes online, but you can find them at places like Craft Warehouse and Michael's Craft Store, and put a stack of cookies, or a cupcake in them for an Oh-my-gosh-how-thoughtful-was-that look on your friend's face when you give them their little prezzie.

I used my cheesy print program to make my tag, but you can use WORD on your computer, or hand write one just the same and make is just as cute as mine if computer-y stuff isn't for you. My print program creates ten tags per page, so I put the extra nine in a drawer where they will be easy to find the next time I want to use this idea again!

Ordinary cookies (mine are my frosted sugar cookies, but any home made favorite will be a hit and look every bit as cute) become fabulous when presented in a creative way. Spend an extra five minutes, and make your friends feel really special. Think about this the next time you're taking a hostess gift, or simply surprising your friend, sweetheart, co-worker...or your favorite postman with a little somethin' somethin' to remind them that they are special.

After all, life is as sweet as we make it, right?

A new lil' Cottage Industry tutorial blog.

 You all know that old book pages and sheet music are part of my signature look, and have endured seeing countless projects done this way. Well, the other day, I was over at Carter's home helping his Mama to add some book pages to an old book case for the home office in her new home, and she had the fabulous idea to film me for a nice little tutorial to share with you.

I'll tell you right now that I insisted she film my arms only for this first time online tutorial because :

A. I am a woman over 50 that is more vain than I'd like to admit (and I think most of us "girls" that are over 50 are this way....) and 

B. I was having a really bad hair day, (No, seriously I was.) and 

C. I was caught in a typical Pacific Northwest (I still can't really believe I live here, can you?!) downpour before going to Carter's home and it made the bad hair day oh-so-much-worse.

Anyway.

Now that I have shared why you only see my hands (and a fraction of my nose and lips in one ten second spot) I would like to share the very first tutorial video with you.  (By the way, Carter's Mama created the new blog for me on Blogger because Typepad, as much as I love it, isn't so video friendly as I would like.) I will however, be jazzing up the looks of this tutorial blog in the very, very near future (As soon as I get the password and such from Carter's Mama.)

The first (in hopefully a nice long series) of tutorials is on Decoupaging book pages. You can find it here. (The link to the tutorial blog is now on my blog's sidebar.) 

Oh, one more thing...I have a fair amount of kind of...pauses....and I do not usually talk this way (any, I don't think I do) but, I was trying to get my thoughts together, and there was a bit of a race for time, as we could hear Carter on the baby monitor, stirring from his nap, and time was of the essence. 

Charming little blanket chest....reinvented.

I got this adorable blanket chest a while back. (and of course, forgot to take "Before" photos...but trust me, it was a pretty dicey looking piece!) This past weekend, I reinvented it for the window space at Camas Antiques.

The original condition of the chest was stained wood, and the drawers had multiple holes where different knobs had been over the years. The knobs it had on it were giant square wooden knobs...so not me.

Anyway.

As I pondered what to do with all of these holes (Putty them in and start over? Cover them with ginorous pulls?) Then, I had an idea. I decided to go with my signature book pages from tattered old discarded books. I applied them, as always, with liquid starch.... (Be sure to do this process on a floor that is easliy mopped...it's messy. And sticky. And gooey. I let it dry over night, and rough sanded the edges of everything. I then added my new knobs and the filigree pieces for around the key holes.
I also added book pages to the sides of the chest to make things flow. Now, it's got a whole new look and I think it's charming.

What do you think? Have you reinvented anything lately?

Night table reinvention how-to.

Thanks for all of the ideas and input from yesterday's post on my color dilemma! I'm still debating about my Robin's egg blue letters in my booth, although, I must admit I am leaning towards adding dark brown edges to them, or making them more of a weathered chocolate brown, and I will share any updates. In the meantime...

A copy of weekends ago I snagged two matching night tables at an estate sale. I like the simple straight lines of these miniature dressers; plenty of storage and still small enough for the tiniest of bedrooms. I knew what I wanted to do with at least one of them.(I've shared my technique before, but it's worth sharing again...)

...First, I removed the drawers, and the knobs, and I primed everything with KILZ. (Sold at most hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe's in quarts and gallons)
Then, I painted everything with my signature Robin's egg blue paint.(It's a pale blue with just a subtle hint of green...although it's hard to tell in this photo...)

....and, here's the recipe for my Robin's egg blue paint in a gallon size with a medium base. (I used an eggshell finish enamel this go around.) The pale blue doesn't photograph nearly as well as it looks in person, and I am not sure why...maybe it's the lighting?
Finally, I antiqued the entire piece, as well as the lil' knobs with my tobacco colored glaze. I use one part dark brown paint mixed into three parts Behr Brand glaze. Paint it on, rub off lightly, and you're done painting.

Lastly, I finished this little baby off by decoupaging old book pages inside the drawers and on the back of the night table for a finished look. To do this, all you do is tear old book pages from several different sized books, and dip them in liquid starch. Wipe the excess starch from the page and apply the page to the drawer bottom or back of the dresser, smoothing out all bubbles and left over liquid starch. Let it dry and you are good to go.

This little treasure will be making it's way to Camas Antiques today. If you've got an old plain piece just sitting around your home looking like it wants a makeover, try my method, with any color you like, or a shade of white or cream. (I still have some copies of my Furniture Painting kit available here, if you feel like you need a more in depth tutorial.) I think you'll be happy with the results!

Playing with the Playroom.

Now that I live up here in the Pacific Northwest, I have the luxury of playing around with projects, not only at my own home, but at my two daughter's homes as well. (Oh, and you know how I love a project!!!)

Well, there are quite a few new projects going on between all three of our homes, and I just had to share the latest project over at Mr. C's home.

There is a small bedroom just off of the kitchen that was used as a playroom for the last family that lived here, and Mr. C's mama decided to continue using the room that way. It makes perfect sense, really. This way, Carter can walk in and play while his Mama is in the kitchen and it's easy to keep an eye on him..or join him!

Carter's Mama, his auntie, and I all got together one day and painted the room Robin's egg blue. My daughter had found a vintage shelving piece (At Camas Antiques...where else?) that we think must have been part of an old kitchen set up. Anyway, Carter's daddy mounted it to the wall and it holds lots of toys now. (How cool is that?!) A small thrifted cottage style coffee table, complete with a long drawer (perfect for housing coloring books and crayons later!) and a painted child's chair work great for Carter to play at. (Actually, he loves to eat little snacks here!) We used chalkboard paint and created a nice big chalkboard on the opposite wall, which I then painted a dictionary description of the word Play on, and finished it off with a frame made from simple painted one by fours. We completed the fabulous chalkboard area by adding a couple of little metal sparrows I still had from way back when I had my teeny tiny shop at Arlington Gardens Mall. Carter is fascinated with the birdies and loves to point at them way up there in their nest!(fyi...the smudgy look on the chalkboard is 'coz I had just painted the words and tried to clean a bit of the chalk template off...rest assured it all looks uniform today)
Old shutters that we found at the salvage yard completed the vintage details for the playroom. (which was a bit of a challenge when all of today's toys are incredibly bright and plastic!) Once Carter is a little bit older, we may add a curtain on a tension rod to the closet to create a puppet theater, but for now, the closet is crammed full of toys. I am not sure exactly who likes the playroom more, Carter, or us girls!

New Year's party hat how-to's.

I was really surprised at how many of you emailed me with questions on how I made my party hat, so I decided to share the instructions right here. It's very nearly New Year's, so you'll have to get right on this if you want to use it this year. Otherwise, you've got plenty of time if you are thinking ahead for next year's New Year's eve.

Oh, one more thing. Keep in mind that the instructions will work for any kind of party hat, not simply New Year's, so think outside of the box here.

SUPPLIES NEED FOR HAT:

sheet music, book pages or scrapbook paper of your choice

Liquid Starch

Bowl to put liquid starch in

Cardboard or mylar party hat (doesn't matter what it looks like, 'coz you're gonna cover it up)

Adornments like the clock face (make one or google a picture up...whatever you like) buttons, glitter, etc. (I printed the words Happy New Year on my printer and cut out the strip like a mini banner, then glued it in place.)

garland edging if the hat doesn't already have some on it.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pour liquid starch in a large bowl and tear paper of your choice into strips of various sizes. Dip paper in liquid starch and scrape off excess starch with your fingers as you pull it out of the liquid. Drape sloppy wet paper onto hat at any angle you like until the hat is fully covered with the torn pages.

Let dry. (I placed my hat over a mid sized pyrex bowl to be sure it maintained it's nice round shape at the base of the hat.)

Add adornments with a hot glue gun.

You're finished!

I'd love to see pictures of your hat and so would everyone else, so please send me a picture when you get yours completed and I will add it to this post with a link to you!

Make it Special Furniture Painting DVD kit!

Thanks to a lot of work by my dear friend Anne, (Who directed and filmed me) and my daughter, (Who edited and produced the dvd) it's finally ready! The first run of my latest DVD kit, "Make it Special, Furniture Painting" is available in a limited quantity. The DVD and handy booklet cover everything you need to know, start to finish, for painting small items like chalkboard frames (...which is what I have my students do in an actual hands on workshop...so easy and it takes all of the fear out of learning the techniques of painting!)
...to large pieces of furniture
....to painting cupboards and cabinetry in your home.

If you requested a pre-order, you should have already received your PayPal invoice. Current supply is limited with more on the way very shortly. Simply click the Buy Now button to order your copy. Get 'em while they're hot, and just in time for Christmas!

Price is $30.00 and includes shipping within the USA. (For shipping outside the  US I will email you any additional cost for shipping)

A painted furniture workshop

   Each week I get questions from readers on how to paint vintage furniture; techniques, tips and how to's, as well as paint recipes. Well, if you're anywhere near the biggest little city, I'm excited to tell you that I will be teaching another "hands-on" workshop with all of the hints and tricks to get you inspired and painting! That's right, attendees will be creating their very own take away project... we'll learn all the tips and tricks for priming, painting and antiquing furniture, accessories or cabinets. We'll practice it all on framed chalkboards to take home, and while we wait for our paint to dry between the steps, I'll be sharing more information and tips.
     The workshop will be held next Wednesday evening from 6-8 pm at the Pickled Tink Studio. You can sign up right on their website, or email them to register!

An easy little recycled picture frame tutorial

    Our new little place of business needs a nice sign for the restroom door. I decided to make one from an old framed art piece that I got for fifty cents from some yard sale that I had stashed in my craft supply closet. I had bought the picture for the frame, because I liked the rectangular shape. I love using things I have instead of having to run out and buy something new, don't you?

I printed the French word for Restroom on an old dictionary page, in several different fonts because I wasn't sure of the look I wanted. I printed a vintage photo I had of a man and a woman, (cropped the photo in half on my computer so they could be two separate pictures) and gave them old looking photo edges in my little print program. I cut them out to add to the new sign.

Using the picture glass, I made sure they were laid out just right. I spray painted the old oak frame a glossy black.

I cleaned the picture glass all nice and clear, and put the completed new sign in the fabulous recycled frame. Total time it took to create this little gem, just under 45 minutes, including dry time for the picture frame.

 

Perfect for the restroom door...for ladies or gentlemen.

A little backyard photography practice

I am working on improving my portrait photography skills and Miss Isabelle graciously agreed to model for me this past Tuesday morning.(See? It's not another shameless Gramma Cupcake bragging post, it's about improving your portrait photography skills!)

Anyway.

Each time I practice, I learn a bit more of what I am doing wrong and it is exciting to see ways of improving my skills with this. Even though she was getting over her first cold, sweet Miss Isabelle was such a good sport all the same. And, hopefully she will be back over for another session in just a week or two when she is fully over her cold so I can work on this photography thing some more.
I am by no stretch of the imagination a pro at this, just somebody's Gramma, trying to get better with  my picture taking skills, but here are a few tips that I have learned from trial and error so far...(learn from my mistakes here, people.)Take the tips for what they are.

*For outdoor shots, don't photograph directly in the sun. It's just too bright. Glaring. Make sure you, with your camera, and your model are in the shade, at least for the most part. (See the grass in the picture above? Some sun, some shade? You want the subject of the picture in the shade fully, or there are too many visual distractions in the picture..just my opinion here.)

*Close ups are nice, but the photo doesn't have to be a close up to start with. Cropping it in after wards works really great, and you may end up with two shots from the same photo that you like both ways, like here:

*Be organized and prepared when photographing babies and little children...(actually, I guess it's good to be organized when photographing anyone.) The time frame is kind of short, since they aren't always thrilled to keep posing and being repositioned for you for hours on end. Check out the area in which you'll be taking the pictures. Look through the camera viewfinder at the area before the subject arrives to get the are a set up if you're doing this shoot outdoors, as I was. Then you see if it's too sunny, or has too much going on in the background.

*Have fun! Just take the shots you can, and then gather up your model (and her mama!) and go out to lunch. It worked for me!

Easy vintage style votives tutorial

Thanks so very much for all of the well wishes and especially for the name ideas for the shop.(I am so excited about it all!!!) We're trying to narrow it down to the top two or three and decide within the next couple of days, so you know I'll be sharing that!

Today I thought it would be fun to share an easy peasy tutorial for making vintage style votive candle holders. After the last wedding a year ago this past March, I had oodles and toodles of votive candle holders left, and I knew from the start exactly what I was going to do with them. They have been waiting ever since.
    Last weekend I finally began my little project, and I am quite smitten with how they came out. (Why didn't I make these sooner?) So simple and sweet, and so easy to assemble. If you don't happen to have 40+ votive holders laying around like I did, you can buy them very cheaply at places like WalMart or a craft store...or...you can use little jars, or empty votive holders from past votives that came with a candle in them (Like the Glade ones at the grocery store)

Here's the supply list:
votive candle holders or small jars
ribbon or lace
millinery flowers (mine are new, from Michael's. I coffee dyed them!)
old book pages (the more yellowed with time, the better!)
optional* old buttons of vintage tags to adorn the votive instead of the millinery flowers

Scissors
glue stick
optional* glue gun

Step one:
take an old book page and make sure it's the length that will wrap around the votive holder. Fold the page so it is about 1/2 inch shorter than the votive holder.Tear the page along the fold for a soft look. Fold the top two end corners so when they meet around the votive holder they will form a nice little "V".

Rub a bit of glue stick to the back of the paper and then wrap the paper around the votive. Cut a length of ribbon and tie it around the jar. Tuck in a flower and you are all set! (At this point you can glue gun on a vintage button or tag...)

I think these are so charming. I can picture them on a table setting by everyone's plates, (Maybe add a coffee dyed tag with each person's name?) or simply tucked into a bookshelf near old photos and books...or, how about boxing one up in a see through acrylic box with a bow, and shredded book pages in the bottom for a hostess gift? They are perfect just about anywhere you want to add a bit of personality!

The J O Y continues

   Okay, I know I promised that I would show pictures of my own Christmas decor this year.  I have been a little slow this year at getting my decorating act together, but I am ready at last to share some fresh new little decorating ideas with you all!

I was so happy with my J O Y letters that I decided to do a little table setting with it. The Sewing Queen gave me these sweet, sweet little clip on bottle brush trees for my birthday and I decided to use them to hold place cards!(She had the girls get them at Monticello in my beloved PTown, from Jean at Burlap and Bling!) I made some simple place cards to coordinate and now I am ready for a sweet lil' meal with a friend. After all, I am a firm believer in living a charmed life (on a shoestring) and making all of the everyday moments as special as any holiday. (You should too!)

Next post...a Christmas time tour of my merry little cottage.

Foofy little ice skate rejuvenation

Ooh! Aren't these the sweeeeetest little skates ever?! I think they're positively yummy, that's what.

Of course, in the beginning, they were just an ordinary pair of old children's ice skates.(Have you got some of these laying around?) You can see the well worn spots, and they appear to have been quite loved. I changed out the old shoelaces for vintage seam tape and added some pearlecent glitter here and there ...and a pink glitter star.

(Can't you just see these a focal point in a snowy centerpiece on a dining table,on an old vintage basket in an entryway, or hanging over the foot board of a bed in a romantic bedroom?)

Mmmmm, too sweet for words.

J O Y to the world

Kind of cute , huh? Guess what? It cost me next to nothin' to make this, and I'm going to share the process with you.

    My daughter bought an entire bag of assorted 3D cardboard letters at the GW (Remember? I told you that's what the "regulars" call GoodWill...)several months ago. (Yes, she's got the gift of spotting a diamond in the rough, and I'd like to think she got that gift from my side of the gene pool, thankyouverymuch) You can find these at places like Hobby lobby or Ben Franklin's Crafts, if you're not lucky enough to stumble upon them at the GW.(Other supplies include scrapbook paper or sheet music or old book pages, a glue stick, some ribbon, jute or twine, and some odds and ends from around your home)

Anyway.

 As I said, it was an..um..assorted collection of letters in the bag, so there were only certain letters. (I am now thinking I will do up some of the individual letters as monograms for sale in the Junkees Tumbleweed Cotillion booth)  I wanted to spell a word that I could use at Christmastime and after some digging, I found the letters to spell JOY and I was set to begin a little Christmas Craft project! I took some old sheet music that I have had for a year or more (thrifted of course) and tore it into small pieces.(you can do this with old book pages, or scrapbook paper...whatever you like) I then glued it to the letters (all over them, not only the fronts of the letters) with a simple glue stick.

At this point you'll want to wander around your home in search of old bits and pieces of craft items...Christmas bells, little trees, angles, whatever you like. Also, you might like to make a cute tag to attach to one of the letters like I did.

I made my tag by printing a favorite bible verse on a paper and then cutting it out to be a tag. (Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Psalm 98:4) I still may go back tomorrow and add a verathane glaze and antique the letters just a bit...maybe, we'll see. (if I do, I'll be sharing my update!)

*sigh* I just love making little things out of bits and pieces of what I already have, don't you?

Catch-up week.

     See the cute sign in the photo? That's one of my friend's favorite sayings. She gave me the three foot long framed welcome sign that she got on clearance at TJ Maxx longer ago than I care to admit.(you won't even believe how long ago...let's just say that sign has spent all four seasons at my home)  Today I will give it to her and she will hang it in her office at work (if she remembers why she wanted it)
     I had offered to repaint it with her favorite saying and then...well, I kept putting it off, doing other things, then I actually forgot I had it after a few months...then, I remembered, and procrastinated some more. (What is up with that?! Why did I do that?!) I even printed my wording template two different times (Um, ya...I had to print it a second time, 'coz I took so long that I lost the first template.)

Anyway.

Finally, finally, this weekend, I got it finished. The shroud of guilt has been lifted! Tonight I am planning on starting to paint three small furniture pieces for another friend that has been patiently waiting since before the Tumbleweed Cotillion.

I want to get them done before autumn arrives.

A very easy little craft project that I did for free.

     I showed you my hallway photo wall work in progress earlier. Now, here is the little project I was telling about in that post.
Here's the old framed country art. I've had it since the early 90's and it had already done it's time. I love the long rectangular frame. The picture inside, not so much. I'll take it all apart and recreate it into something I can love again....

    First of all, I am going to dismantle the frame and the matte...taking the double matte apart with the "proper tool" (they glue these together at the factory, you know...dental floss works well also.)

Next, I will paint the frame and both of the mattes with spray paint (The frame and the inner matte are both black, the outer matte, white) and put them back together...

Now, to add a computer generated verse to make it perfect for my family photo wall.(Don'tcha just love this quotation?)

See? Easy peasy. And, one of my personal favorite 4 letter words...F-R-E-E.

Ever evolving chairs make over...

   

So many of you have asked about the chair in my daughter's cottage that I thought I'd better share it with you. I used the same technique as always...like in Furniture re-do 101, except the paint color is a darker wheat for the base color. (Sorry, I don't have the Behr recipe, so just pick one you like!)
     I found 4 of these chairs on craigslist well over a year ago. They were so cute, but they are reproductions, not antiques and a couple of them were scuffed up.

     I primed one, then painted it a light yellow-ish wheat color. After that, I glazed the chair frame in a tobacco color and slid some fabric I had over the cushion to get an idea of how we'd like it.
   The newest maid-of-honor wasn't sure of what colorway she wanted to go, so the chairs have been there, in transition.   As her cottage has taken shape, we have chosen a color palate at last. We are set to paint all 4 chairs black, along with the drop leaf round kitchen table very soon, and add new cushion fabric...oh yes, you know I'll be sharing the results with you!

Totally free two minute art project

    Everybody's doing the monogram thing these days...Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Ballards Designs, Horchow.... and me.
Isn't it classy looking? Ya, I thought you'd like it. That's why I just had to share this easy-as-pie and basically free idea with all of you today.
     While cleaning out the workroom, I've been going through all of my old scraps of paper, pages from magazines...and ads. I came upon a Pottery Barn page where they are actually selling printed letters of the alphabet. Are you kidding me?! Who is buying these things? Are they charming? Yes. Sophisticated? For sure. But to pay money when we can all just print a letter out on our deskjet printers..? Pul-ease. I want to meet the folks buying these, 'coz I have a bridge I want to sell them.

Anyway.

I also ended up with a semi large collection of assorted picture frames. Some small, some not so small, you name it. I took a frame I liked (an old TJ Maxx clearance find for $3.99) and I then printed the letter in WORD in a large font.(I think the font size was 160) I centered it on the page, then I took the glass from the frame and laid it over the paper with the letter "B" on it. When the letter was centered, I drew around the piece of glass, and then cut out the square. I placed the glass and the paper back in the frame and I was done.

So...I am thinking these will make fabulous gifts.(Maybe for Valentines day? Gee, I hope my kids aren't reading this...) Frame one, or do a collection of the same letter in different fonts, (masculine or feminine) how cool would that be? Or spell out a  word, like L O V E or H O P E or B L I S S in 4 assorted frames with one letter in each, and done in different  fonts, then place them together to form the word?

**edited to add: OK, to get your font size larger than 72 in WORD, all you need to do is highlight the lstter (or whatever) and then in the font size box that reads 72, click and type in the number you want to try...say...175, then hit ENTER. The highlighted letter will enlarge.

Oh. My. Gosh. My mind is reeling at the many ideas you can create here, for free, people!