Paper Flower Wreath w/ Vintage Baubles

My favorite crafting projects involve discarded vintage costume jewelry (aka - Vintage Baubles).  I think that vintage costume jewelry is absolutely gorgeous, whether it be the patina of the finish, the dull shine of the rhinestones, or the intricate details of the metals.  I usually find these in the "junk pile" at estate sales saying "take me home Melissa, and give me a new purpose!"  Yes, vintage jewelry talks to me .... sign me up for Belleveu Hospital.

 This project was really simple.  First I took a foam wreath and wrapped it with twine.  It was a little tedious, but it went fast since I did it while watching Whale Wars.  (Confession - I secretly love the crazies on Whale Wars and spend my Friday nights watching their drama unfold.  Yeah, I know, you are jealous of my super exciting social life.  I hope that doesn't change our relationship.)

After I got the twine on the foam wreath, I cut out hearts from magazines using my heart cut-out-contraption.  (Yes, that is its patented name).  I cut out I-dont-know-how-many hearts, and I grouped them by color as I went along.    I also cut out five hearts from the newspaper, just to give it a little contrast.

I took five hearts of similar color, folded them in half to give the petals a crease, then attached them together into a flower shape.  I then glued the flower to the wreath.  Simple!  Then I decided that these flowers need a little dazzle.... so I dug out my vintage jewelry baubles and glued some to the center of each flower :)

Here is the wreath, in its new home on my back door.  Of course, this first picture is an embarrassment to the photography community not that good, so I took a few more pictures on an old shutter that came out much better but still not great. 

Here is a close up of some of the flowers.  

 

 

I will stop inundating your brain with photos now :)   Have a fantastic day!



This was shared on Shabby Creek Cottage's Transformation Thursday, Home Stories A 2 Z's Tips and Tutorials Link Party and Passionately Artistic's Linking Party.

What to do with this basket?

This weekend I picked up this vintage-y basket for a steal at a going-out-of-business sale.  I'm pretty sure I am in love with this basket.  The only thing is .... there are so many things I can do with it!!  Tell me which one you think is the best...


Here is the basket...

Perhaps as a holder for hand towels?

Or as a place for my favorite magazines to wait patiently until I get the chance to curl up with them...

Maybe as a place to gather extra pillows?

Or a place to hold my dog's poor stuffed animals that have been ripped to shreds toys. 

Next to the front door as a place to contain shoes?

Or a carrier for a nice evening of wine. 

Or perhaps it can be incorporated into a center piece with Mason jars and flowers?

Or as a vegetable basket? Maybe?

Or as a place to hold the books that are on the top of my "to read" list. 

What do you think?  How would you use this uber awesome basket?

Let there be light!!

One thing that has been bugging me about some of the rooms in my house is the lighting.  All of the lighting was new and put in by the previous owner during the massive renovation.  For that, I give him props.  Its not his fault that he has terrible taste in lighting!!!

There is quite a bit of brass in this house, and I am not a fan of brass.  As far as lighting, there are brass lights in 4 of the bedrooms and in one hallway.

How many lawyers does it take to hang a light fixture?  Apparently more than one - I chickened out at the thought of death by electrocution.  So this isn't a true DIY, its a DIYWALHFLP (Do It Yourself With A Little Help From a Licensed Professional).

Here is the before of the light that is in the bedrooms :

 I replaced this fixture in the guest bedroom with this amazingly cheap Craigslist find:

I really like how simple this chandelier is.  I think that sometimes chandeliers can be overwhelming in smaller rooms, but this chandelier gives it just the right amount of sparkle without blinding you to everything else in the room.  I love the shadows it throws around the room.  Also, I'd like to introduce you to my freakishly furry child dog, Brody.  This is his, "Oh no, she is blogging again" face. 


And here is the light I put in my "reading room" : 

I got this chandelier at IKEA for a little over $40.  It gives off a really soft light, and adds just enough chic to make this reading room feel extra cozy and relaxing.

And that, my lovely readers, are some of the newest additions to my house!  Tell me in the comments what kind of bling you have added to your house!

Shared this on Southern Hospitality's Summer Treasures Party

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Fireplace Mantels

I don't have a fireplace.  But I didn't let a minor detail like that stop me from getting a fireplace mantel!

I envisioned a white, slightly chippy mantel that maybe has decorative touches like fancy molding or designs carved into the old wood.

Then I found this old vintage mantel at On A Whim in Lucketts, VA for $35, and had to have it :

I still might paint it white, but right now I am liking how the black contrasts with everything.  Even though it has simple straight lines and no elaborate molding or carvings, I still really like it.
 

It has five old rusty hooks along the front.  I can't wait to hang Christmas stocking from them!  (Side note: Since we are currently in a heat wave with a heat index of 118 degrees, thinking about Christmas right now is refreshing!)  That cute little metal bird was a find at Old Lucketts Store.  I <3 it.

The vintage window pane is the one that I picked up from Community Forklift.  I have been going back and forth about putting a painting here, but for now this chippy frame is just right.




On a similar note - one of my most favorite blog series is by Nibs Blog who did a Fireplace Mantel Series of 12 different and distinct ways to decorate the same fireplace mantel.  The transformations are so amazing! 


Here are just a few:

 

Unbelievably creative, right??  You need to check out Nibs' Blog!

And those are a few of my favorite things!

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Old Jars

A love of mason jars is not an unheard of concept in the blogosphere.  I have read many blog entries where the writer professes her devotion to mason jars of all colors and sizes.  This blog entry is not going to be much different from those other blogs, except perhaps my love goes beyond just old mason jars and expands to all old jars :)

Here is a table setting I used recently for a party.  It was three jars - one large ball jar, one medium ball jar, and one medium white jar - with yellow and white flowers in them.  Very simple.  I loved it!

You can also see from the above pictures that I drink out of mason jars - both canning mason jars and some mason jars with handles that I found somewhere along the way.    The cute table cloth is from Dwell Studios. 

  I absolutely love colored mason jars.  I love the extra "chicness" a blue jar gives a table setting.  I recently came across some violet colored mason jars on Etsy and haven't been able to stop thinking about them since!

Here is another Ball jar that I have on top of the white table I painted and posted about last week.  This particular jar is a widemouth jar, which I find to be much better suited for flowers.   I often tie ribbon or twine around the neck of the jars. 

This is a Royal Crest Milk bottle that I picked up at an estate sale in Denver.  I love the shape of it!  I have it in my basement bathroom.  It is amazing how much flowers brighten up a windowless room!

I picked up this bottle in Hallowell, ME.  It says "Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription For the Cure of the Chronic Weaknesses and Complaints Peculiar to Females."   I keep a linen rose in this bottle, because I am afraid of getting a drop of water close to that fragile label! 

This is a malted milk bottle that I also picked up in Hallowell, ME.  This beauty is currently the home to my feather collection.   When I purchased it, it had an odd grainy ash inside of it, and I had to ask the antique store owner to call the seller of this jar to make sure I wasn't purchasing grandma with the jar!  I still have no idea what was in it, but she assured me it was not grandma :)

And finally, these jars (two ball jars, one jar without any insignia) hold corks, buttons, and sea shells.  They are currently clustered on top of a bookshelf in my reading room.  

And those are a few of my favorite things :)