Author: Quandie

the partridge lane box.

Published on by Quandie8 Comments

My friend Sue picked up this wooden recipe box for me a while back.

The design on the front was definitely outdated, but other than that it was in pretty good shape.

I think these little boxes make fun, quick and easy projects.  I’ve done a few of them over the years, like this one …

and this one …

and this one …

These recipe boxes are fairly easy to come by at garage sales or thrift stores.

For today’s recipe box, I started out by sanding down the design on the front.  It didn’t feel like it was raised at all, but I often think that only to find that the outline does show up after I add paint.  Next up I gave it a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss to prevent any bleed thru.  I’ve also learned that these old recipe boxes frequently have a finish on them that will bleed (read about that here).

I then gave the box a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Ecru, and before allowing the final coat on the top to dry I added one of I.O.D.’s Twelfth Night paint inlays.

Once dry, I gave the paint inlay a quick spray with some Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer to seal it in.  I know you sometimes see people skipping this step, but I find that it’s really easy to smear those inlays if you skip it.  Better safe than sorry, right?

I then used some of the cute little houses from their Partridge Lane transfer on the front …

and around the sides.

I just love the detail on these little buildings.

After adding a little “No. 154” to the front corner of the box, I lined the inside with some red and green plaid scrapbook paper.

Finally I finished off the outside of the box with some of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

Wouldn’t this make a fun little gift box for Christmas?  Or maybe go old school and actually keep your favorite holiday recipes in it.  Either way, it was a quick and easy project to work on, perfect for a winter afternoon spent indoors crafting.

I took this little box into Reclaiming Beautiful back in early November and it did sell fairly quickly.

I have a few more recipe boxes in my stash to work on over the coming months.  How about you? Have you ever painted up any of these small boxes?  Leave a comment and let me know.

a winter garden tour.

Published on by Quandie18 Comments

Good morning from the garden!

Brrrrr!!  It has been cold here!  Sub-zero temps in December are not my favorite.  However, we had some really beautiful snow earlier this week, so I thought some of you might enjoy a tour of the winter garden.

So bundle up, grab a hot beverage, and let’s go!

Cossetta (my statue) has her feet buried in snow, but it’s not quite above her knees yet.

Here she is in January 2023 when she had snow up to her waist!

Will we get that much snow this year?  I don’t know, but we’re off to a good start.

Most of the plants that I left standing in the garden have been buried in snow already, but for now the allium is still standing.  I like how the snow looks like little pointy caps on their heads.

If we get much more snow, they will eventually end up buried as well though.

Speaking of buried, sometimes I’m not sure why I bother with winter window box arrangements when they will just end up covered in snow.

Then again, you never know.  Last year we barely had a dusting of snow by Christmas, so I was able to enjoy my winter window boxes much longer.

Besides, the spruce tips do look pretty covered in snow …

and even in icicles in some cases.

If you remember my post about these winter arrangements, you might be wondering if the ornamental kale and the heuchera that I kept in place are surviving.

I was hoping they would at least last through Christmas, but again, I never expected sub-zero temps this early in the season.  So the answer is no, they didn’t even survive much past Thanksgiving.

We had a bit of wind with this snowfall, so some areas drifted more than others.

I’m glad I didn’t leave my red and white skates on the bench because they would definitely be buried.

They are still looking good hanging from the chippy sled though.

The potting shed is looking festive.

I’ve hung one of my sleds beside the door, and although you can’t see them very well in that photo, I have some star burst lights hanging from the roof on the right.

They do a good job of lighting up the garden after dark.

I had grandiose plans of putting a Christmas tree inside the potting shed this year, but I let it go too long and now it’s far too cold to be out there setting up a tree.  Maybe next year?

Even though I cut quite a lot of my hydrangea flowers to dry this year, there are still plenty left.  I like to leave them in place for the winter to add some interest to the garden.  They catch the snow quite nicely.

Especially the large Limelight hydrangea to the right of our front door.

It ends up looking like a snowball bush!

As always, the carriage house provide a festive pop of red in a snowy landscape.

It’s definitely looking like we’ll have a white Christmas this year.

Now it’s time to head back inside to warm up with some hot cocoa.  But how about you?  Have you had much snow where you are?  Leave a comment and let me know.

the cape cod box.

Published on by Quandie16 Comments

I’ve got another holiday tacklebox for you today.

If I remember correctly, my friend Sue found this one for me.

And now that I think about it, it’s probably not a tacklebox.  It doesn’t have a pop up tray inside like your typical tacklebox.  Perhaps it’s just a lockbox or strong box of some kind?

Regardless, I gave it the usual treatment.  I scrubbed it with soap and hot water, then gave it a light scuff sanding, followed by a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear Bonding Boss.

Then I painted the interior in Dixie Belle’s Barn Red.

Next I painted the outside in DB’s Ecru.  Once that was dry, I taped off a wide stripe down the middle and painted it in more of the Barn Red.

After sanding to distress the paint a bit around the edges, I added some pretty florals from the I.O.D. Winter Botanist transfer.

The little bird is also from the Winter Botanist.

The wording is from an old re.design with prima transfer called Classic Vintage Labels.  I’d forgotten how some of those first generation transfers could leave that faint halo around them when used over a darker paint color.

But it’s far more noticeable in that close up photo than it is with the naked eye.

I used another portion of that Classic Vintage Label on the front of the box.

I finished the box off with a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

While I had my paint out, I also decided to paint up another trio of thrift store books.

They are also painted in Dixie Belle’s Ecru, and I used that same I.O.D. Winter Botanist transfer on the spines.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get these items photographed and into the shop before I left for Mexico, so I only managed one final photo.

I’m fairly sure that the box has already sold, but I’m not sure about the books.

With Christmas fast approaching (is it really only two weeks away?), I’ll probably only share a few more holiday projects this year.  But which ones have been your favorites so far?  The toolboxes?  Painted books?  The sleds?  Or maybe the ice skates?

Leave a comment and let me know.

santa’s workshop.

Published on by Quandie14 Comments

First up, congrats to Ally.  I drew her name at random to win my blogiversary giveaway.  Many thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment, I appreciate every one of you!

In other news, I’m back from Mexico and working hard to get back in the festive Christmas spirit.  And by working hard, I mostly mean I’m watching sappy holiday rom coms while watching the snow come down outside my window.

I have to say, it’s a bit jarring to go from 85° and sunny with this view …

back to 4° and this view, with more snow predicted today.

But that being said, it’s always good to be back home and ready to work on some projects.

Speaking of which, over the summer my friend Jackie gave me a bunch of boxes to paint, including a small cardboard case with a handle.  Then, just a week or two ago my friend Susan also gave me a small black case.

Since I got such good results adding a stencil to an unpainted suitcase a few weeks ago, I thought I’d try it again with both of these.

Let’s start with the black case.

It’s a little beat up, but I think that’s part of its charm.

I first added a shadow to the words “Rudolph and Co” using Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.

Then I applied the entire stencil using DB’s Ecru.

By the way, I think I often forget to mention it, but I usually fill in the bridges on stencils using a small artist’s brush.  For more info on what that means, and also on how to create the shadow, check out my ‘how to stencil’ post.

This little case had some pretty fabric lining, but there was a big stain on the bottom.  So I simply covered that up with some Christmas themed scrapbook paper.

I gave the outside of the case a quick coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax to add some protection.

Moving on to the cardboard case.

After using my usual technique of stenciling the larger typography in a dark color, in this case Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean, to create a shadow, I moved the stencil slightly up and over and then … well … I made a colossal mistake.

I taped the stencil down around all four sides.  This particular stencil is cut pretty close to the edges of the stencil and I thought it would best to avoid getting paint off the edge of the stencil with my large Best Dang Brush from Dixie Belle (my favorite brush for stenciling, FYI) by taping them off.

I used the yellow Frogtape, which is meant for delicate surfaces, but nonetheless, when I pulled it up it took the top layer of the case with it.

Ugh!

I really should have seen that coming!  It was especially disappointing because the stencil itself looked really pretty darn good.

My typical first reaction to this sort of thing is to throw a little tantrum, and then shove the item to the back of the closet and leave it there.  According to my mother, this was how I handled her telling me to hang up my coat as a child.  I guess some personality traits never change.

But, I’m slightly more mature now.  So I took a step back and thought perhaps I could fix it with paint.

I started by stippling some of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage over the tape damage.  It’s a little more green than the background color of the case, but it was the closest color I had.  Next I stippled some of the Coffee Bean over it.

It’s not perfect, but I think it sort of works.  I’ve gone ahead and ordered some Dixie Belle paint in a color called Pine Cone to see if that might be a closer match.  But in the meantime, I think this was a pretty good save.

As for the inside of this case, it was lined with paper that was a bit stained.  So I got out my stash of scrapbook paper and picked out some Christmas paper to affix over the old stuff.

I’m not 100% positive, but I’m fairly sure that is another paper from October Afternoon, a now defunct local company that made all kinds of fab scrapbook supplies.

I found the perfect spot for this little case in my own home for now.

I’ll hang onto it until I can do a little more touch up with the Dixie Belle Pine Cone.

As for the Rudolph & Co case, that is for sale locally.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

I think both of these little cases would make adorable gift boxes, but what would you do with them?  Leave a comment and let me know.

a pair of pink stockings.

Published on by Quandie18 Comments

I picked up a pair of vintage needlepoint Christmas stockings at a garage sale last summer.

Pink roses might not be everyone’s choice for Christmas, but someone went with it.  They put a lot of time into this pair of stockings.

I decided to lean in to their floral design by not only stuffing them with winter greens, but by also adding some faux pink ranunculus.

I also had some vintage glass pink ball clusters in my stash.  They aren’t ornaments, but rather a cluster that was meant to embellish a Christmas package.  Do any of you remember when these were popular?

FYI, I had to borrow that photo from Etsy because I didn’t think to take a picture of mine before I used them.

Anyway, those went into the mix as well, along with some frosty pink berry sprigs from Hobby Lobby.

These will be perfect for someone who still loves a shabby chic Christmas, or is into the Granny Core look (although I hate calling it that, who you calling a granny?).

You don’t find a lot of pink Christmas out there these days, but I’ve always been drawn to it as evidenced by my pink packages from 2017.

My Venetian velvet inspired stenciled wrapping paper from 2018 also featured pink.

And then there was the pink dustpan from 2019.

Last year I added a pop of pale pink to the inside of a Christmas toolbox too.

And actually, many of my favorite vintage Christmas bulbs in my non-collection are pink.

In addition to these pink floral stockings, I also gave a pair of skates some pink florals this year.

When I stopped into the shop just before Thanksgiving to drop off the pink stockings, I noticed that the skates are still there.

So maybe pink florals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea at Christmas?

What do you think?  Would you add a pair of Christmas stockings with pink roses to your holiday decor?

Leave a comment and let me know.

the charcuterie toolbox.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

I ended up bringing four Christmas themed toolboxes into the shop for the holiday season this year, and much to my surprise they have all sold already.

I really felt like I was taking a chance with them.  After all, if they didn’t sell I’d have to hang onto them for a full year before I could try again next year.  Well … maybe that’s not entirely true, I could have tried selling them at my occasional sale in the spring.  But typically holiday items don’t sell well in summer.

I really just wasn’t sure if people would get it.  I mean, I know you can use a Christmas toolbox in a variety of ways, but does anyone else?

For example, you can use one to display your non-collection of vintage tree toppers.

You can also use one to store your favorite fragile glass ornaments.

How about using a tacklebox to corral your Christmas card writing supplies (does anyone even do cards anymore?).

They also make fantastic gift ‘boxes’.

I’ve done a couple of different toolbox gifts over the years.

And that brings me to my latest toolbox creation.

But let’s start at this story at the beginning.  I wanted to create more Christmas toolboxes for the shop, but I was all out of the raw materials, ie. some toolboxes.  So my friend opK and I stopped in at our favorite Habitat for Humanity Restore.  I have had good luck finding toolboxes there in the past, so we headed in with fingers crossed.

Sure enough, we found two of them!

Yee haw!

I decided to start with the slightly smaller one.

After using a razor blade to scrape off the “Powr Kraft” label, I gave it a good scrub with Dawn dish soap.  Unfortunately, my garden hose is put away for the winter so I had to do this in my kitchen sink this time around, rather than out in the back yard.  It’s so much easier in the back yard.

But I got it done.  I followed that up with a good scuff sanding and another rinse, and then I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear Bonding Boss.  I won’t paint a toolbox without it anymore.  It keeps any rust from leaching through my paint, and it also aids in the adhesion of the paint to a metal, and quite likely still a little greasy, surface.

Next up I painted the inside in my new favorite Christmas red, Dixie Belle’s Barn Red.

I added a transfer from the I.O.D. Clementine set to the inside of the lid.

Does that just pop on the red or what?

As for the outside, I painted it in Dixie Belle’s Ecru and then added a few more Clementine transfers.

I had to get creative with cutting and re-arranging a few of the various Clementine designs to fit my toolbox.

But I was able to take two 12″ tall sheets and rework them to fit the front of my 7″ tall toolbox.

It wasn’t until I was adding a topcoat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax that I realized how perfect this toolbox would be as a gift box.  Just fill it with all kinds of delicious charcuterie board ingredients.

Perfect for Christmas, but also perfect any time of the year.  The Clementine transfer doesn’t scream Christmas, but has a bit of a wintery look with its deep green foliage and those bright red flowers and berries.

By the way, if you didn’t see my blogiversary giveaway post last week, go back and check it out.  I’m including the Bonding Boss, Barn Red, Ecru and clear wax in that giveaway.  Everything you need to create your own Charcuterie toolbox except for the toolbox itself and that I.O.D. Clementine transfer (you can still find it online at The Painted Heirloom, which is where I ordered all three of mine!).

As for this Charcuterie toolbox, I took it into Reclaiming Beautiful last week before I left for Mexico.  I’m not sure whether or not it’s still there, but if you’re local and in need of a fun, unique gift box you may want to pop in and see.

a pop of red.

Published on by Quandie31 Comments

First up, thank you so much for all of your kind comments on my blogiversary post!

Sometimes I need a reminder that there are still people out there reading my posts, it gives me the motivation to keep at it.  I really do appreciate all of you who keep reading 🙂

In other news, it snowed on Wednesday!

Yay!

Now it’s really beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

OK, we didn’t get a lot of snow, just a little over 3″, but enough to make things look festive.

Isn’t that so much more festive than this …

It was enough snow to make for a fun photoshoot of today’s makeover project.

Yep, it’s another pair of skates, speaking of the same ol’ thing 😉

But there is a bit of a difference this time because I’m painting these for myself and I wanted to add another pop of red to the decor on our deck.  I kept this pair of skates aside for that purpose.

It wasn’t until I started to work on them that I really noticed that scallop detail at the top of each skate, so I decided to keep that top portion white and paint the rest of the skate in red.

I did freshen up that white part using Dixie Belle’s Ecru.

I painted the rest in Dixie Belle’s Barn Red.

I didn’t add any transfers because I plan to mainly display these outdoors.  I have found that transfers don’t hold up for more than about one season when exposed to the elements, at least here in Minnesota.  Our winter weather can be a tad extreme sometimes.

I finished them off with a generous amount of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.  This will help repel moisture when they do get rained and/or snowed on.

I debated just putting the laces they came with back on, or adding some of that velvet ribbon I’ve been using as skate laces lately.  I ended up choosing the ribbon.  I’m not sure how well that will hold up, but I can always remove it and go back to the laces if it falls apart.

Although I enjoyed getting some pics of the skates on the rusty iron bench in my garden …

I’m actually going to be hanging them from the chippy red sled on my deck.

Yep, I love that extra pop of red.

What do you think?

And are you enjoying some winter weather where you are?  Leave a comment and let me know.

the same ol’ thing? (blogiversary giveaway!)

Published on by Quandie53 Comments

Today I’m celebrating my 12 year blogiversary (read to the end for my annual giveaway)!

Sometimes it feels like I’ve been doing this forever, while at the same time I can’t believe that 12 years have gone by since my first post.

In some ways, so many things have changed over the last decade or so.  Not only have my blogging skills improved a bit, but my sister and niece moved here from New Jersey, and both Mr. Q and I retired from our day jobs.

I’ve also made quite a few changes to our house.

For example, the q branch (which is my home office where I write this blog) went from chartreuse …

to beige …

to deep green.

The piano room went from horizontal grey and white stripes …

to faux board and batten paired with charcoal grey.

The potting shed went from shabby chic she shed …

to photo cottage …

to potting shed.

But aside from all of those changes, in other ways I sometimes feel like I’m just doing the same ol’ thing.

For example, my first post about painting books was way back in 2015.

And I’m still painting books.

My first post about painting toolboxes also goes all the way back to 2015.

And I’m still painting toolboxes.

I also shared some stenciled suitcases back in 2014.

And I’m still stenciling suitcases.

I don’t know, am I still doing the same ol’ thing?

Or has my style changed enough that these things feel different?  All three of these examples show how much my style has evolved, even if the items themselves are technically still ‘the same ol’ thing’.

Last winter I did add something entirely new to the blog.

I gave my old dollhouse a total makeover.

I had so much fun working on that project and it filled up many cold winter days (if you are viewing this on a desktop, you can look to the right side of the screen and under the word ‘sorted.’ you can click on the “mini’s” category to see all of my dollhouse posts).

But the dollhouse is mostly done now, and I’m not sure if I’ll continue to do more miniatures or not.

I did briefly consider the idea of creating miniature furniture to sell.

But that plan didn’t really go anywhere.  I still have quite a few pieces for sale, check out my ‘miniatures for sale‘ tab if you want to check them out.

But despite a brief collaboration with Miniature Crush, and a few early sales, I ended up unable to find a market for my miniature pieces.

So currently I am rather unsure what projects will fill my days this coming winter, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.  It may end up being more of the same ol’ thing, but hopefully with enough of a twist to keep you interested.

In the meantime, as is my blog tradition, I have a giveaway today to celebrate my blogiversary.

  I’ve included both of the magazines that I was featured in recently, Flea Market Decor and American Farmhouse Style.

If you win you’ll also receive a couple of my favorite paint colors for this time of year, Ecru and Barn Red.  You’ll also get the Clear Bonding Boss that I use on all of my toolboxes.

I’m also throwing in the clear wax that I use all the time, plus Big Mama’s Butta in the Orange Grove scent (my favorite of the scents) along with some brown wax.  I like to mix these last two products together to create an easy to apply aging finish (you can see that result on the bar stools that I painted last summer).

Finally, I’m also including two bars of Dixie Belle’s Scrubby Soap, one orange and one lemon.

I love this stuff for both cleaning my paint brushes and cleaning paint off my hands … and maybe my arms, and on occasion possibly even my legs (I’m a messy painter).  Not only does it work great, but it smells great too.  I guess you could say that I’m a fan of citrus scents, both in Big Mama’s Butta and Scrubby Soap.

By the way, FYI, from now through December 1 if you buy 2 Scrubby Soaps from the Dixie Belle website, you get 1 free.  They make awesome stocking stuffers for the painters/gardeners/mechanics in your life.

Oh, and hey, while we’re on the subject, Dixie Belle has a couple of other deals this weekend only.

The Black Friday Deal:  Buy one, get one 50% off on Friday, Nov 28 from 12 a.m. through Saturday Nov 29 at 11:59 p.m.

The Cyber Monday Deal:  Free shipping on orders over $99 from Monday, Dec 1 at 12 a.m.. through Tuesday, Dec 2 at 11:59 pm.

So be sure to check those out if you need to stock up.

Meanwhile, best of luck on today’s giveaway.

Here are the rules:  Simply leave a comment on this blog post to have your name included in the random drawing.

Your comment must be left on this blog post, not on Facebook or Instagram.

  Also please note that if you are leaving a comment for the first time I will have to approve it before you will see it on the blog (this is to reduce spam and/or inappropriate comments).  Be patient because I’m heading to Mexico on Saturday and may not be getting to comments while away.

I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Sunday, December 7, 2025 at the stroke of midnight (U.S. Central time).

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $200, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, December 19, 2025 another name will be drawn at random to win, yada, yada, yada.

Good luck!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for all of their support over the years, and for supplying all of their items included in today’s giveaway.

winter window boxes.

Published on by Quandie13 Comments

Good morning from the garden!

You may remember that a couple of years ago I made the mistake of not cutting and drying any of my hydrangeas before they turned brown.

Well, I definitely did not make the same mistake this year.  I had bushels and bushels of hydrangeas drying in the carriage house and in the potting shed.

  I also dried more allium and astilbe flowers this year.

So a week or so ago when we had an unseasonably gorgeous day, sunny and a high of 70°, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and put together my winter window box arrangements.

Honestly, it’s lucky that I have so much dried material to work with because I have a lot of containers to fill outside.  I usually put arrangements in both of my galvanized boiler ‘window boxes’, my two rusty planters at the back door, one or two rusty planters in the shade garden, and my ginormous window box on the front of the house.  If I had to buy everything to fill all of those each winter it would cost a fortune.

I started with the galvanized boiler window box on the carriage house.  I had done a fall arrangement in that one right before my sale, and although the mum I used had totally bit the dust, the ornamental kale and heuchera still looked pretty good.  So I decided to leave them in place.

The kale can handle temps down to around 5°, so hopefully they will last through Christmas.  In case you are new here, I garden in zone 5a in a suburb of St. Paul, MN.  So yes, we’ll definitely get colder than 5° over the course of the winter.  Eventually they will start to look pretty sad.  As for the heuchera (dark purple foliage at bottom left), so far it seems to handle a bit of freezing weather as well (we have had lows in the 20’s already).

Since I was keeping those deep purple shades, I decided to use the Vanilla Strawberry dried hydrangeas because they dried to nearly that same color this year.

In case you aren’t familiar, the flowers on this variety start out white and then slowly turn  more and more pink as they age.  I waited longer to harvest them this year, so they were pretty dark when I cut them.

After filling in the back of the planter with the Vanilla Strawberry, I used some of my dried Little Lime  flowers in the front.

I then decided to embellish it all with some touches of gold including that bunch of gold bells that I picked up at last year’s Bachman’s after-Christmas sale.

The sprigs of gold balls that I used were initially way too bright for my arrangement, so I sprayed them with some of the Rust-Oleum metallic paint that I had on hand.

I also sprayed a few of my Quick Fire Fab dried hydrangeas and popped them in here and there.  You can see the gold on the hydrangeas much better in person than you can in photos though.

You may remember that I did that last year for my front window box too.

They didn’t hold up all winter, but they did make it through Christmas.

I kept the front window box super basic this year.  I started with a base layer of faux evergreen garland and my twig lights

Then after adding some spruce tips from Home Depot, I just filled in with dried hydrangeas, astilbe, and allium.

I also found that my verbena bonariensis dried quite nicely on its own, so I cut some and used it too.

This is definitely a more subdued look than some I’ve tried in the past, but I like it.

I did use some more traditional holiday colors on our deck.

Now all we need is a little snow to brighten things up a bit!

How about you?  Do you decorate outside for winter?  Or do you try to hibernate as much as possible?  Leave a comment and let me know!

the north pole suitcase.

Published on by Quandie4 Comments

I worked on a couple of Christmas projects for the shop earlier this week, so I thought I’d share them with you today.

First up is this vintage suitcase.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure if I liked this one, but I it was only $3 at a garage sale.  So I figured if it didn’t turn out, I was only out three bucks.

I didn’t even open it up before I got it home, but when I did I was awash in a sea of cobalt blue.

Isn’t that pretty?

Whenever I share a vintage suitcase project, I’m inevitably asked how I combat odors inside them.  I’ve tried any number of things with moderate success.

no 1 – fill the suitcase with crumpled newspaper and close it back up for a week or so.  The newspaper will absorb some of the odor.  Repeat several times with fresh newspaper if necessary.

no 2 – throw a scented dryer sheet inside.  Maybe pick a nice lavender scented variety.

no 3 – spray with Febreeze.

no 4 – give the suitcase its day in the sun.  Open it up and set it outside in a sunny spot to air out.

no 5 – throw a scented votive candle or bar of soap inside.

I’ve tried all of these options … and I often employ several of them in combination.  But, I still haven’t found a 100% fool-proof way of totally removing that musty old suitcase smell.  Once the suitcase goes back to sitting around closed up all the time, it will likely return.  For that reason, I use my own vintage suitcases to store things that won’t pick up odors like my glass tree toppers and other Christmas ornaments.

Initially I thought I would paint the outside entirely first, and then add a stencil.  That’s my usual M.O., like on this one …

But lately I’ve been experimenting more with just adding a stencil over the existing surface, like I did with this one last year …

So I pulled out my North Pole Trading Co stencil (from Wallcutz) and gave it a go.

I used my usual technique to add a shadow behind the words “north pole” by first stenciling them in Dixie Belle’s Caviar, then moving my stencil slightly up and over and stenciling the entire design in DB’s Ecru.

The texture of the case is not entirely smooth, so I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get a clean look with a stencil, but for the most part it turned out fine.

And personally, I like that I was able to keep the slightly beat up look of the original surface.

If you’re wondering what one would do with a Christmas suitcase, I suggest placing it in your foyer to greet your holiday guests.  Or, style it on top of a cupboard, or tucked under a sideboard.  And of course, it would be perfect for housing your vintage Christmas ornament non-collection in the off-season.

When styling photos of the suitcase for the blog, I added in my Christmas tuba.

What?  You’ve never heard of a Christmas tuba?

If I remember correctly, my neighbor nnK’s dad found this tuba in the trash at their storage facility.  Someone must have been cleaning out their unit and tossed it.  After he gave it to me, I thought it would make a unique bit of Christmas decor with the addition of some greens and some this fabulous wide vintage velvet ribbon from my stash.

I’ve been hoarding this ribbon for years, using it in the occasional photo shoot, but never wanting to ‘waste’ it.  It’s about time I started using it on things.

I guess both of my projects today are a bit on the more unusual side.  A Christmas suitcase and a Christmas tuba.  Why not?

What do you think?  Would you decorate with either of these items?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Meanwhile, if any of you locals are in need of a Christmas suitcase, or a Christmas tuba, I brought both of these items into the shop last night so be sure to swing by Stillwater this weekend to check them out!