Chalkboard Vinyl Labels!

How fun are these?!  Introducing the newest design!  These labels can be used just about anywhere and are so versatile.  Pick your favorite chalk color and go to town labeling!  Of course, you can get them in any color vinyl but don't you just love the chalk board vinyl?

Item can be found under Borders, Labels and Embellishments.

Repurpose your old doors!

Do you often see old antique doors for sale or even for free?  GRAB them if you do!  There are so many neat things you can do with them.  Re-porpose them in your dining room as a table top! How about a chalk board or room divider?  Take a peek at these wonderfully creative ways in which old doors were used to add a unique design element and create an instant focal point! 

Apartment Therapy

kaboodle.com

Myrepurposedlife.net

Silveradostudio.com

Apartment Therapy

Country Living

Martha Stewart

Vintage Christmas~ Christmas Decorating Marathon Part 4

This was fun!  I must say that I have a special place in my heart for everything vintage!  So many wonderful things.  Mix the old with the new.  You can achieve a vintage feel with just a few key items~

Where do I start?  How about the front door~  Take a look at this cute wreath!  It is made up of vintage ornaments, toys and village pieces.  If you want to recreate this wreath but do not have any vintage ornaments, it's easy.  Notice the colors, PASTELS, (with a little bit of red and green!)  That is the key to creating a vintage look.  You can now purchase shatter proof ornaments at most of your local Targets, Wal-marts, etc.  Look for different shapes and sizes.  Paint stripes on them, glitter them and use as many different patterns as you can.  Visit your local antique store and purchase just one toy or staple item to add to the wreath to complete the look.

retrorenovation.com

The tree!  Aluminum is the word but can sometimes be hard to find.  Use a white tree as an alternative.  Once again use pastels with bits of traditional reds and greens.  I love the vintage inspired village that is set up around the base.  Very cute!

thehouseofwhimsy.blogspot

thehouseofwhimsy.blogspot

Of course, if you can't get a white tree, you can still create a vintage look with a traditional green tree.  Just keep the color pallet of the ornaments in check.

moxiegirlflickr

moxiegirlflickr

everydayhoushold.blogspot

I love the tin at the  bottom of this tree!  It is an elegant tree but the little deer add a bit of whimsy to it!

Here are some examples of vintage ornaments.  A great inspiration point when recreating your own!  If you want to go all the way and use vintage ornaments, check you local antique stores, ebay and ask around!  You never know what might be hiding in your Grandmas attic!  

There are many sites that offer tutorials free printables for vintage inspired ornaments!  This is a great one: Printable Vintage Postcards.  Print out vintage images, postcards and photos. Add ribbon, glitter and tinsel to them to create an authentic look.  Here are just a couple examples~

 Janet Coon Christmas

lindaalbrecht.typepad.com

Dress your windows by hanging your vintage ornaments with ribbon~

BHG

I love these Christmas displays!  Add things you have around the house!  The scale is perfect and the tiered platters showcase the ornaments perfectly!  Look at the sleigh...hey, I have that book in my attic!

chippyshabby.blogspot.com

Look for bristle trees and little village houses.  These are actually quite easy to find.  Check out your local craft stores, Target, Wal-Mart and even Dollar Tree.  The trees can be spray painted and glittered to whatever color you desire!  I have seen reproductions of the little houses at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.  Your best chance of gettting one is to visit the store the day they receive deliveries!

poetichome.com

pamgarrison.typepad

How cute is this!  A small chest has been turned into an advent calendar using vintage inspired paper.

pamgarrison.typepad.com

These are my favorite!  Vintage reproductions are so fun.  I have mentioned Bethany Lowe Designs before. She has so many cute items.

smphotoson-flickr

Another great line is offered by Johanna Parker Design.  Look at these designs~  They are adorable and I can't get enough of them!

Merry treasure hunting!

Distressing painting technique

Do you have a piece of funiture that doesn't look quite the way you would like it to look? Update it or personalize it by painting it a fun color! Finsih it off with a nice drybrush technique that will give it some personality. Drybrushing is an easy painting tecnique that creates some depth and gives the peice of furniture an aged look without sanding. Sanding can sometimes damage the furniture so drybrushing is a better alternative.

How to drybrush-
After you sanded, primed and painted the base color on your furniture, choose a color such as burnt umber, black or any natural toned dark paint. When I say natural tone, I mean a color that would be an earthtone but it should be rather dark. To get an aged look on furniture you are more or less trying to make it look worn and somewhat "dirty". Therefore the colors must be in line with what the natural process would do.

After you have chosen your drybrush color, take a large brush, 4 inches or so and rough up the ends. The best way to do this is by pounding it into your driveway or any rough surface. Crazy I know! But it will give you the best result. You know it is "beat up" enough when you see fattening of the bristles at the end of the brush. Next grab a couple paper plates and we are ready to paint!

Dip the end of your brush into your paint. You only need a small amount of paint so it may be easier to put a small puddle of paint on a paper plate instead of dipping into the can. Next, wipe off most of the paint that is on your brush by swiping back and forth on a paper plate.

You are now ready to apply the paint to the furniture. Beginning at one end, drag your brush across the surface. Be careful to do it lightly. You can always add more. Concentrate on the edges of the furniture and the raised surfaces. Always go with the grain of the wood. Continue the process until the surface has the effect that you are trying to achieve. If you find that the drybrushing finish is heavier than you would like it to be, simply take your base coat color and drybrush with that color over the darker one. (Using a bit more paint.)

You now have a custom piece of furniture that you can enjoy for years to come!
If you have any projects that you have done, I would LOVE to see them and post them for others to see as well!