Theirs And Mine #1

I take inspiration from lots of other talented bloggers. Here are a few crafts I've done lately and the blogger who inspired me.

Loved the paper wreaths that Lindsey from Out of Alabaster did in August of 2011. I have a black front door, so I look for lighter colors to contrast in a wreath. And it turned out to be an easy project.  Here's Lindsey's:

I found an old book on herbs on a junking trip to Sleepy Poet and used the pages to create mine. I aged it some with an ink pad (Stampin' Up! Soft Suede) and then spritzed it (Stampin Up! Champagne Mist Glimmer Paint mixed with alcohol), which you can't see in the photo. Thanks Lindsey, for the tutorial! Here it is:

I saw this at Dee's blog, A Lapin Life. And I knew I needed to do my own.

So here is what I came up with! I gave them to roommates on a recent trip.  Burlap ribbon from Etsy and burlap twine from the hardware store, then heart charm from Stampin' Up and some stamped sentiments also from Stampin' Up.

Here is another fun crafty thing - - handmade wine or bottle stoppers. Great gift as well.  Again, I saw them first at A Lapin Life. 

And here are a couple of mine.

These were fun to make and were very fun to give!  The original drawer pull from this batch of stoppers were from Anthropologie in the mall. They can be pricey. But there are cute ones in the hardware store as well. More twine from the hardware store and itty bitty safety pins bought in bulk from Michaels. Then ribbon and stamped sentiments from Stampin' Up.

Junking Day #1

WHAT MAKES A GOOD WINTER DAY?  As a child, my cousin Jamie and I would accompany my mom, grandmother and aunt to various junk and antique markets. The best one was the Thieves Market in Arlington, Virginia. I don't know if it's still there. Someone tell me? Acres and acres (it seemed to us) of junk and antiques. My cousin and I would roam the stalls and make up games based on the vignettes we saw while the grownups would look for bargains. Then sometimes we would get a treat to lunch at a local BBQ restaurant on Glebe Road. Guess it's gone too, but it sure was good. 

Continuing the tradition, I occasionally visit antique stores around my home. Last Saturday was c-c-cold and a good day to be inside an antique mall. I went to Sleepy Poet Antique Mall and also, in the same building, Consignments on South.  I am looking for a couple of chippy sideboards to be potting benches and catch-alls in my carport. (More on that idea later.) But along the way I'm not against a couple of bargains or pretties! I saw some great items and there were probably even more I missed.





Broken china side table in Mary Jane's stall at
a great price. But I don't need any tables right now :((

 

Like this Collie painting but the price was out of my reach.



Unique chippy metal demijohn with its bottle.



Sunburst sculpture. Very trendy right now.



One of my favorite stalls. There were some pillow ticking pillows. Got one.

Tin and wood desk storage. Very cute and affordable.

I have fallen for vintage textiles, have you? I thought this very reasonably
priced runner would look nice with my everyday Spode Italian so I got it.

27 Item Fling

I did a 27-Fling Boogie yesterday. Don't know what that is? It's where you take a large garbage bag through your house and fling out 27 random items of clutter as fast as possible. Then close the bag, don't look in it and fling it in the trash. That's it.

I didn't make it to 27 yesterday. Only made it to around 17. But the point is, it got done and some clutter is GONE. From what I remember, here is a partial list of the things I threw out:

- old crackberry charger (one with the big connector)
- three died up ink pads
- a died and cracked rubber stamping wheel
- an old cookbook - way too complex one on cooking fancy fruit desserts, what was I thinking?
- an old over the shower head caddy, rusted
- 4 old cleaning heads for a handheld electric scum buster, been around the laundry room 10 years, never used

Wish I had a picture of this stuff to show you, but that would violate the rules of the Boogie (hahaha.) Nonetheless, it's out in the garbage now. Yes, yes, yes, I could have donated some. Maybe the book. Or sold it. But then it would still be in the house cluttering!  But for one item at a time I thought it wasn't worth it and I needed the space and piece of mind.




Buh-bye clutter.

Why 27 Items?  Its a just a random number but it's easy to remember. I like FlyLady's approach to decluttering and cleaning. If you have a clutter problem or want to "fly" through your housekeeping, this is a wonderful source and coaching service. See more about her techniques at Flylady.Net

Must Have Burlap

I have always liked burlap - - for anything. Lately I am seeing lots of beautiful burlap ideas.  Etsy is a good place to see burlap items that don't have designer prices. Of course you can also check numerous blogs and designer sites for fabulous ideas first!  All of these pictures are from various sellers on Etsy.

This door stop is so cute!  

Love this bee pillow.

 I have always been obsessed with roosters so this pillow calls me by name.

I will probably buy this table runner. Great price.

And I bought some 2 1/2 inch burlap ribbon today. Can't wait to use it on a couple of projects.

Why Scratching

I ran into this quote from Alice Roosevelt Longworth many years ago and thought it fit life right now.

I had an itch last summer on how to layout an herb garden.

I still want to know how to pick a paint color (gotta satisfy this soon.)

I did fix the itch to make a paper wreath from a salvaged book.  I made one this past holiday season and am so proud of myself!

And what are the benefits of green tea? (That was today's itch!) 

I have scratchy companions: husband John and various family and close friends.

 And scratchy pets (oh oh!)  7 cats and 3 dogs.

And I have a major itch to scratch:  how can I arrange my life to be SIMPLER and BETTER? 

Hope you can help me with comments along the way.

Welcome!