Category: happy holidays.

to paint, or not to paint?

Published on by Quandie17 Comments

To paint, or not to paint?  That is the question.

And it’s one that I often struggle with.

I don’t like to destroy an authentic patina that took decades to develop by painting over it.  In fact, I often cringe a little inside when I see other crafters doing exactly that.

But then again, things almost always sell better for me if I paint them.

And that brings me to ice skates.

Wait, what?  Ice skates?  Surely I’m not losing sleep over whether or not to paint vintage ice skates, am I?

Well, let’s look at some ice skates I’ve shared in the past.

The first skates I ever painted were these pretty pink ice skates back in 2017.

So sweet, right?  Well, here is the before photo of them …

Painting those felt like a bit of a no-brainer.

Flash forward to 2019 when I added a floral re.design with prima transfer to some skates after freshening them up with some of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.

I LOVED how those turned out!

So then I repeated that idea back in 2020 with this pair of skates.

I considered both of those pairs of skates to be your basic outdated 80’s or 90’s ice skates with no vintage value whatsoever, and probably no real practical value as functional ice skates either.

They both looked pretty much like this before I painted them …

But then there are the skates that I really don’t think should be painted, like this pair that my friend Sue sold at one of our Carriage House sales …

I also have this pair of skates in my stash that I used to stage a photo last year.

I changed out the laces for some alphabet twill ribbon, but otherwise left them ‘as is’.

That brings me to my current stash of skates.  I have one pair that I’m not sure I should paint …

They aren’t quite as fabulous as the pair that Sue had, but they do have a certain aged patina that I like.  What do you think?  Should I paint them, or should I leave them alone?

Before you answer that question, let me share another pair from my stash that I recently painted up.

After giving them a good wash with a damp rag and some Dawn dish soap, I gave them a coat of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  It just took one coat to freshen them up enough to add some transfers.

Then I pulled out the remaining remnants from my Dixie Belle Evergreen and Holly transfer.  I’ve mentioned this transfer quite a few times lately, mainly because it was a limited release for last year and now it can be pretty hard to find (although there are a few still out there).

I had a few bits of holly left from mine, so I decided to use them on the skates.

But I needed to fill in more space, so I also pulled out DB’s Vintage Post transfer.  I used a combination of Vintage Post and Evergreen and Holly together last year on a lock box and I really liked how they worked together.  Once again, they combined beautifully.

In case you’re wondering, I left the opposite side of each skate plain.

I figure most people are going to display these hanging from a sled, or maybe hanging in front of a wreath on the door.  In other words, only one side of each skate will really be visible so I didn’t want to waste my resources (ie. transfers).

Once I had all of the transfers applied, I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta over the skates to add some protection.  That being said, they would not be terribly weather proof.  I would not display them outside in an unprotected area.  You could put them on a covered porch though.  The cold won’t hurt them, but too much moisture might.

While I was working on painting and applying transfers, I had the original laces for these skates soaking in some OxyClean.  But when I pulled them out I realized that they weren’t really salvageable.  They were quite frayed, and they also had some rust stains that wouldn’t come out.

So I decided to add some velvet ribbon as laces.

I found some wonderfully frayed green velvet ribbon at Hobby Lobby that was perfect for the job.

After a bit of hesitation, I have decided to sell this pair of skates (I was really tempted to keep them!), but I can always make another pair for myself if I just can’t live without them.

So be sure to check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details if you’re interested (sorry, I don’t ship my items so you have to be local).  I’ll be bringing these into the shop when I get back from visiting my mom, so speak up soon if you want them!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the paint, Big Mama’s Butta and transfers used on these skates.

need some holiday inspiration?

Published on by Quandie61 Comments

As I think I may have mentioned, my sister and I are off visiting our mom this week (she lives just outside Las Vegas).  Mom’s birthday is on Halloween!  So we thought it would be nice to fly out and spend her birthday with her.

Initially we were just going to hang out at her house, but then we decided to take a road trip to Zion National Park.

It’s only a little over two hours away by car and we’ve never been.  So why not?

While I’m off enjoying some hiking in Zion, and soaking up some sunshine in Vegas, it is rapidly moving from fall into winter back home.  My biggest complaint about fall is that it’s always too short.  The forecast this week at home calls for highs in the 30’s, and the possibility of snow on Tuesday.  Ahhhh, trick or treating in the snow, how fun.

Since fall is over and winter is here, I thought you all might appreciate a little inspiration to kick off your holiday crafting season.

So, let me direct you to the right hand side of the page (if you’re reading this on a computer screen) just below the search box, but above the thumbnail photos, you’ll find the word ‘sorted.’ with a box below it where you can select a category.  Scroll through to ‘happy holidays.’ and click on it.

This will bring up all of my holiday related posts.

You may have to skip one or two posts about painted pumpkins, or a Valentine’s Day toolbox, but for the most part this category is filled with Christmas decor ideas.

Just start scrolling to find inspiration for stenciling Christmas stockings.

Or making your own Christmas gift wrap, either with paint and stencils …

or with stamps …

You can get inspired to dress up a pair of ice skates …

and you’ll find lots of ideas for stenciling a sled.

Or stenciling a wooden box for your Christmas tree.

You could always choose to add an I.O.D. paint inlay to your crate instead.

I’ve got a few ideas for adding a winter vignette to a lantern.

And loads of ideas for turning cast off cupboard doors (find some at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore) into pegboard signs.

And of course, you could always turn a headboard or foot board into Christmas decor as well.

And don’t forget those kid sized chairs!

They are perfect for the addition of a stencil, transfer or paint inlay!

As are little stools.

It’s always fun to dress up an old kid sized snow shovel too.

Now, just to help you out a bit and encourage you to get in the mood for Christmas, I thought I’d give away some of my favorite paint.  Almost every painted project I’ve shown here was painted in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, Caviar, Honky Tonk Red and/or Evergreen.

So here’s a chance for one lucky winner to try out all four colors!  I’m also including the Country Living Christmas Spectacular which has 136 ideas for a festive season.  OK, the truth is I purchased this magazine for myself only to find out that all of the articles inside were also included in their Christmas at Home book, which I also have.  So I’m passing the magazine on as part of this giveaway.  It really does have some great ideas inside though!

The rules for today’s giveaway:  Simply leave a comment on this blog post (and please forgive me if I don’t respond while I’m out of town, but know that I read and appreciate all of them).

Your comment must be left on this blog post, not on Facebook or Instagram.  You are not required to follow my blog, or follow my Facebook or Instagram accounts, although it would be awesome if you did!

I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Sunday, November 5, 2023 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 $160, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, November 10, 2023 another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

the other half.

Published on by Quandie16 Comments

I’ve been working on refining my non-collection of ironstone lately.

I have a fair number of pieces, and my Welsh cupboard was getting rather full.

I went through my stash and pulled out some pieces that could go.  While I was pricing them up for the shop, I thought maybe it would be nice to have a way for them to easily display them and potentially move them around if needed without too much effort.

So I went out to the carriage house to see what I had that might work and I came across this wooden caddy.

As you can see, it was nothing special ‘as is’.  Just something a handyman whipped up out of plywood, probably to hold tools of some kind.

After giving it a good cleaning, I decided to paint it in Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean.

I’d recently been watching a YouTube video where the creator was using this color and called it a ‘warm black’.  Hmmmm.  I’d never thought of it that way.  To me it’s always been a dark chocolate brown.

As you can see, my jar of Coffee Bean is well used.  But not being a huge fan of brown, I’ve only ever used it as a base coat underneath another color or as the dark shadow color for a stencil.  But after hearing it called a warm black, I’m seeing this color with new eyes.  Maybe it does deserve its moment in the sun.  So I pulled it out and added just one quick coat to the caddy.

I can certainly see where someone might call this color a warm black.

You might just start seeing me use a bit more Coffee Bean now.

Once the paint was dry, I pulled out that 2nd sheet from the Harvest Hues transfer that I used on the tackle box I shared on Monday.  Remember?  It’s the one that I damaged by allowing it to roll up on itself.  But luckily, the undamaged portion was just long enough to fit the side of this caddy.

Plus the transfer was tall enough that I could cut it in half lengthwise and put it on both sides.

I also had a few random pieces that could wrap around the corners.

After adding the transfer, I sanded the edges of the caddy to distress them and then used Dixie Belle’s Easy Peasy spray wax to seal everything in.

All that was left was to fill it up with ironstone.

I thought this pretty covered casserole with its wheat design was especially appropriate for fall.

The caddy itself is for sale, as is all of the ironstone.  I brought it all in to Reclaiming Beautiful on Wednesday.  So if you’re in need of a few more ironstone pieces or a warm black wood caddy, and you’re a local, stop in to the shop this weekend!

random garage sale finds.

Published on by Quandie28 Comments

First up, I realized that I hadn’t mentioned that I drew Marguerite’s name as the winner of my Peachy Keen giveaway, so congrats to her!

Next, I also realized that it’s been a while since I posted about any of my garage sale or thrift store finds.

In fact, I checked back and I think the last post about a garage sale item makeover was back in August.  Seriously, how in the world does time go by so quickly?

Well, despite the fact that almost two months have gone by since I last posted some finds, I have been getting out to garage sales nearly every week (not counting two weeks of traveling, and then a week of covid) with my friend opK.  I don’t seem to be bringing home any major hauls, but I have found a couple of things here and there.  It just never seems like quite enough stuff for a complete blog post.

For example, here’s my ‘haul’ from last week.

See?  Not too exciting.

But let me share a bit of what I’ve done with some of these pieces.

Let’s just start with the stack of shaker boxes.

You know me, I have a problem resisting boxes of any kind.

The colors on these were a bit dated though, and I’m not sure anyone needs a complete stack of 7!  So I decided to break them up into two sets, and give them an ombre paint job in shades from white to gray.

I started with the 4 smallest boxes.

They are all painted in Dixie Belle paints, starting from the top of the stack and working down I used Drop Cloth, Sawmill Gravy, French Linen and Hurricane Gray.

I added random bits of various transfers to the front of each.  I had to search a bit to find sections that were small enough for these little boxes, but I used some of re.design with prima’s Classic Vintage Labels, and some of I.O.D.’s Traditional French Pots.

I also added a sweet little bee from re.design with prima’s French Labels to the top box lid.

I painted the larger 3 boxes in a similar fashion using the three lighter colors, and then found transfers to fit on them as well.

These scraps came from the same sets, along with the bits on the bottom two boxes that are from the small version of the Seeds transfer from prima.

I know it’s often difficult to really tell the size of items in photos, especially when there isn’t anything shown to provide scale.  The biggest box is 7″ across, and the smallest is a mere 3″ across.

As I was looking around for items to stage them with, I realized that the smaller boxes would be pretty adorable on top of one of my mini dressers.

How cute is that?  I may just have to keep those now.

Next up, you may have noticed the trio of amber bottles I found.

I knew I could give these a quick update with some faux apothecary labels.

Um, but wait a moment, didn’t I have three of them?  Yeah, I broke one of them while washing them up.  Drat.

After washing them, I used Mod Podge to add some faux labels.  I shared this quick process and a source for a .pdf of the labels in a post back in February (here).

Next up, how about that clock?

It doesn’t have a lot going for it as a clock, but when I opened it up I realized that the clock face and mechanism would come right out leaving a cool little shadow box.

So I pulled that out, then painted the outside in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  Then I freshened up the inside with a coat of their Caviar.  Once dry, I added a small stencil to the inside back.

This stencil is from a pack of 6 x 6″ stencils that I ordered on Amazon last year for a few projects.  Unfortunately, when I went to share the link for them I found that they are currently unavailable.  I’m sure you could search out other small Christmas themed stencils though.

Anyway, after adding the stencil, I placed some bottle brush trees and a cute little carved reindeer inside the shadow box, and lit them all up with some fairy lights.

So cute!  Having that stencil in the background really adds some dimension to the piece.

I did feel like the front needed just a little bit of quandification though, so I added some Tim Holtz transfers.

Last up is the lantern.

I liked the raw wood look on the sides, but the metal ‘roof’ looked a bit cheap up close.

So I decided to use some of Dixie Belle’s Patina Paint to give it more depth.

I started by painting the top with a base coat of DB’s Caviar (black chalk paint), then I painted on two coats of their Iron paint followed by the Green Spray to create a rusty finish (for a full tutorial on this product, check out this post).

Ahhh, so much better!  To get that texture I stippled the paint on rather than brushing it.  I advise doing that if you don’t want to see brush strokes in your finished look.

Next up I added some bottle brush trees with fairy lights inside the lantern.

Along with a little carved Santa.

The lights I had on hand ended up being a bit wonky, so I’m going to have to get some more fairy lights for this one.  But you get the idea.

I’m in the midst of getting a lot of my Christmas merch ready for the shop, and most of what I’ve shared in this post will be heading over there soon!  I’m trying not to rush the holiday season, but I have several really cool holiday projects completed already that I’m dying to share with you guys.  So be sure to stay tuned!

the merry fairy box.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

OK, I know it’s too early for Christmas.  But for those of us who make things to sell, we have to get going on that now.  I find that November is the best month for selling holiday decor, and guess what?  That’s next month already.  Yikes!

Anyway, remember my holiday themed toolboxes from last year?

My favorite was this one.

I actually ended up keeping it.  I love the subtle nod to Christmas with the poinsettias and the red typography.  It doesn’t scream Christmas with candy canes and Santa Claus, and that’s what I like about it.

This is another one from last year …

I used some of that same Christmas floral transfer, Evergreen and Holly, from Dixie Belle.

Unfortunately, that transfer was a limited time only sort of deal.  They don’t have it anymore, and as far as I can tell they aren’t coming out with a new one for this year.

So I have been searching high and low for something similar to use on some toolboxes that I have waiting in the wings for this year.  But everything I’m finding is coming up short.

I did order the Holly Jolly Xmas transfer from redesign with prima, but those designs are a bit too big to fit on a typical toolbox.

When the new I.O.D. holiday release came out, I was super excited about a couple of their new holiday transfers; Candy Cane Cottage and Fairy Merry Christmas.  So I ordered those too.

I noticed that the sheets they came on were a bit smaller than usual, but I figured they’d still be perfect for toolboxes.  But I was wrong.  Or at least sort of wrong.  A few of the elements are a good size for toolboxes, but many of them are just way too small.  Plus, I’m mainly interested in the florals, which are absolutely gorgeous, but again, quite small.

All in all, I’m pretty disappointed.

But that being said, I am going to try to find ways to use them … maybe just not on toolboxes.

That brings me to today’s project.  I have a stash of various recipe or card catalogue type of wooden boxes.  So I decided to paint one up that was just the right size for one of the images from the Fairy Merry Christmas set.

I painted the box in Dixie Belle’s Cactus, and once dry I added a merry fairy to the top.

Sweet, right?  But maybe not 100% my cup of tea.  I love the delicate look of the holly, and boy oh boy do I wish they had some transfers that were just sprigs of that holly!

The closest thing to that in this transfer set are the three wreaths that are included.

Two of which are a mere 6″ wide and tall.

I really wanted to use more of those pretty holly elements on this box though, so I ended up cutting up one of the wreaths and re-arranging it around the front of the box.

I think I did a pretty good job of disguising the fact that it was originally wreath shaped.

I chose to add another of the merry fairies inside the lid of the box.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I do think these transfers are very pretty.  I love the subdued color palette, and the artwork is beautiful.  I just wish they were more suited to my needs.  Selfish of me, I know.

I think this transfer would be perfect for making gift tags, or maybe small wooden Christmas tree ornaments or something.  And who knows, maybe I will end up doing something like that with some of them.

Certainly, this little box turned out nicely.

But I sure do wish I could find another Christmas floral that I like as much as I liked that Dixie Belle Evergreen and Holly!

How about you?  Do you have a favorite Christmas transfer?  Any suggestions for one that might work on my toolboxes?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

a pile of painted pumpkins.

Published on by Quandie15 Comments

Is it too soon for pumpkins?

I think so.  However, sometimes I feel like I have to jump on the bandwagon simply because I plan to take some painted pumpkins to the shop, and many shops (ie. Hobby Lobby, Target, Marshall’s, Home Goods, etc) were already decked out for fall several weeks ago.  I actually feel like I’m behind on fall décor!

In addition, we have a big trip coming up!  Have I mentioned that yet?  Remember way, way back in 2019 before Covid?  We had booked a European Capitals cruise.  When the Covid thing started in early 2020, I remember thinking ‘oh, this will be over long before our fall trip‘.  Little did I know that it would be four years before we managed to get back to Europe!

But we’re finally going!  This time my sister, niece and nnK’s brother are all joining us.  We’re spending six days in Amsterdam, followed by a 7 day cruise around Norway.

Anyway, that means I need to get a jump on seasonal fall stuff because by the time we get back from that trip I’ll need to get started on Christmas décor!  LOL.  Good gracious … that’s actually true though, I definitely have to get a jump on that.

So let’s take a look at some painted pumpkins.

Last year I picked up a variety of faux pumpkins at after-holiday bargain prices.

Most of them are white, but three of them are paper mache.

My original plan was to paint the paper mache pumpkins, and the medium-sized bright white pumpkins (those bright white ones were particular plastic looking).  I left that large creamy white pumpkin alone, that one is going to go outside in the garden later in the fall.  I was also planning to leave the smallest creamy white pumpkins ‘as is’ and use them to fill a bowl or other container at my own house.

But then I was thinking about some re.design with prima Middy label transfers that I ordered a while back, and they were the perfect size for the smallest of the pumpkins, and before I knew it, I’d added them to almost all of the little pumpkins.

I know, they aren’t exactly fall colors.  Nor are they really fall-ish looking designs.

But if you’re not into the traditional orange, these might be a good alternative.  The blue transfers are from the Vintage Labels I set, and those in the next photos are from Vintage Labels II.

The prima website calls the color a soft, warm grey.  Hmmmm.  They definitely read as a lavender to me.

I painted the three larger paper mache pumpkins, and the three creamy white mid-sized pumpkins in three different Dixie Belle colors, Dried Sage, Sawmill Gravy and Sea Glass.  I didn’t do any sort of prep before painting, and you don’t really have to when using the Dixie Belle chalk style paint over a non-smooth, non-glossy surface, and the pumpkins qualified.

I love the two that I painted in Sea Glass.

Totally not a traditional fall color, I know.  I turned the stems on them gold using some of Dixie Belle’s Gold Gilding Wax.  The combination of Sea Glass and gold always feels very ‘Louis XIV’ French’ to me.

I also added DB Gilding Wax to the stems on the other two medium sized pumpkins, only in the Bronze color.  I felt like the original stems looked really plastic in their original speckled green color.

The bronze worked beautifully with the Dried Sage …

Applying the transfers to an uneven, rounded surface can be a little bit tricky.  But, I don’t think they have to be perfect either.  If you look closely, some of them may be a bit on the wonky side.  But I think that just adds to their charm.

I added another of the blue transfers to the medium pumpkin that was painted in Sawmill Gravy.

The paper mache pumpkins both ended up with French labels.

The transfer on the left is an old I.O.D. French Pots transfer (back when they were still grey rather than black), and the one one the right is from the Classic Vintage Labels from re.design with prima.  By the way, that photo does a better job of showing the paint colors with Sawmill Gravy on the left, and Dried Sage on the right.

I tied some velvet ribbon around the stems on these two rather than gilding them.

I finished off all of the painted pumpkins with some clear wax to add a little bit of protection, but still, these are only suitable for indoor use.

This was a fun little project for a rainy afternoon, and you can find these sorts of faux pumpkins at any craft store.  But if any of you locals don’t have time to create your own, I took these in to Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater this week.  You can always swing by and pick one up!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the paint used on these pumpkins!

the key to your heart.

Published on by Quandie6 Comments

My friend Sue found this red tacklebox for me.

When she handed it over she said something along the lines of ‘you don’t even have to paint this one.’  She thought it was perfectly worn ‘as is’.

Well, that threw me into a world of indecision.

The thing is, I agreed with her about that original patinated finish.  It is perfectly imperfect.  But experience has taught me that it can be difficult to sell a tackle box without adding some personality to it with paint and transfers.  Then there’s also the fact that it’s red.  Red isn’t super hot right now, and I usually only use red at Christmas.

So what should I do?

I started by cleaning it up, and then I went ahead and painted the interior in Dixie Belle’s Honky Tonk Red.  The inside was a bit grungy, and I want these things to be functional when I’m done.  To me, ‘functional’ means that you feel good about storing things inside whether it’s jewelry, art supplies, cosmetics, photos or love letters.  So a fresh paint job was definitely in order for the inside, and I stuck with the original red since I still hadn’t decided what to do with the outside.

I sealed the paint with some flat clear coat, but once I had that done I was a bit paralyzed.  I simply couldn’t make up my mind whether to leave the exterior alone, or to paint it.  So after looking at the thing for about two months, I finally decided to try something halfway between.

I added some transfers without painting the outside first.  Well, except that little inset rectangle in the handle, I did paint that.

Most of the transfers on the top are from the re.design with prima Middy French Labels set, except for the “Lost + Found” on the handle.  That one is a Tim Holtz transfer.

I also added a French Labels transfer to the inside of the lid.

And also a Classic Vintage Label to the front of the box.

It wasn’t until I started writing this blog post that I looked up cuir noir and found out that it translates to black leather.  I’m not even going to comment on my inadvertent combination of love and black leather.  Hey, whatever floats your boat, right?

At this point it did occur to me that this tacklebox was now the perfect place to stash your love letters, or those vintage saucy postcards.

Or maybe your favorite photographs of you and your Valentine, and most certainly the key to your heart.

That way you’ll always know where it is.

Normally this is the point where I mention that this one is for sale locally, etc.  And it is.  However, it’s already at the shop.  I brought it in last week before I left for my mom’s house.  So … it may still be there, or it may have sold last week.  It’s hard to tell from out here in Las Vegas!  But I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted on whether or not this one sells with it’s original red paint, so stay tuned!

spending time.

Published on by Quandie24 Comments

You know, it’s funny, but when I initially was thinking about putting together a year end recap blog post I felt like I hadn’t really done that much in 2022 and it would be hard to come up with something that wasn’t lame.  After all, what did I spend my time on last year?  Now that I’m retired from the day job, I have to admit that I feel a little bit like I’m spending too much of my time doing unimportant things like reading a book, taking a nap or watching YouTube.

Then I started looking back at my blog posts for 2022 and I realized I did do some things.  For one thing, I traveled quite a bit.  I visited some old favorites like my mom’s place near Vegas, Disney World and Puerto Vallarta.  Plus I saw some new places like Sedona …

and Charleston.

I also did a lot more gardening last year than I have in the past, and that led me to start a weekly ‘Sunday mornings in the garden’ blog post.

I also did plenty of thrifted item makeovers.

And garage sale item makeovers.

And even some makeovers of my own stuff.

Of course, there were countless toolbox makeovers!

And lock box makeovers.

And tackle box makeovers.

Speaking of tackling, I also tackled a project I’d been putting off for a couple of years, turning the photo cottage back into a potting shed.

I learned a new technique in 2022 with the I.O.D. paint inlays.

I also got my first paid magazine feature in 2022.

And my first paid blog post sponsorship (Dixie Belle Paint Co does not pay me, but they do provide me with free product, fyi).

Looking back over all of these things, I realize that I did a lot more in 2022 than just nap, read and binge watch YouTube.

I guess I tend to focus on furniture makeovers when trying to decide whether or not I’ve accomplished something, and 2022 was definitely not my best year in terms of productivity or profit when it comes to furniture.

However, I did create some really cool pieces like the fritz kohnen armoire.

And the raw wood experiment dresser.

The botanical cupboard was one of my favorite pieces in 2022.

And the splitsville nightstands created from a dressing table were a fun project to work on too.

My motivation for working on furniture stalled a bit over the last year because my stuff just hasn’t been selling as quickly as it used to.

At this point I can’t promise that I’ll be ramping back up when it comes to furniture makeovers, but I hope to have plenty of projects of all kinds to share with you guys along with a smattering of gardening and travel posts (we’re going back to Norway!) in 2023.  So I hope you’ll all stick with me for another year.

Happy New Year!

 

getting crafty with gift baskets.

Published on by Quandie25 Comments

Those of you who have been following me for a while may have noticed that I didn’t create my own Christmas gift wrap/packaging this year.  Over the past several years, I’ve come up with some sort of handmade gift wrap each year.

Last year was the stenciled packages.

And the year before I used some I.O.D. stamps to decorate my packages.

One of my favorites was in 2018 when I was inspired by Venetian velvet.

But this year I just didn’t come up with any super creative ideas for wrapping all of my packages.

However, I did put together a couple of gift baskets that I thought would be fun to share.  Neither of them have a predominantly Christmas look to them, so I figured it would be OK to share them even though Christmas is over.

Here’s what I started out with.

Did you know that they have these cute little cardboard pots at Hobby Lobby?

I did not.  Until I saw them there that is.  And if you shop when the paper goods are half off, they only cost $1.  That’s cheaper than a gift bag.

Plus there is the added bonus of being able to get crafty and decorate it however you want to.

I went fairly simple with mine.  I first painted it in Dixie Belle’s Silk paint in Anchor, and then I added one of I.O.D.’s Traditional Pots transfers.

This made the perfect container for a gardening themed gift.  I just tucked in some garden gloves and gift card to our local nursery.

I added a star shaped tag that I purchased ages ago on Etsy.

I wish I had kept track of who the Etsy vendor was so that I could share that with you (and so that I could order more myself, this was my last one), but unfortunately I did not.

Next up is this fall themed metal basket that I found at the thrift store.

I don’t know where this came from originally, but my guess is Hobby Lobby, or somewhere similar.  Have you noticed that items like this from Hobby Lobby often look like they were created by someone for whom English is a 2nd language?  Is it just me?  Do you know anyone who calls it a “pumpkins patch”?

Well, regardless, the graphic itself was a little cheap looking anyway.  So I sanded it down and then painted the bucket using Dixie Belle’s Anchor.  I then added one of the JRV mini stencils to the front of the bucket.

My neighbor asked me to help her put together a gift basket for her boss.  She provided the fillings.

I decided to work with the gorgeous amber color of the bourbon by adding some brown tissue paper.

I dressed it up a little using the I.O.D. Crockery stamp and some VersaFine Clair ink in Pinecone.

There were a few gift cards and smaller items to be included so I decided to tuck those into a drawstring burlap bag.  My friend Sue had given me a stack of these bags knowing that I could dress them up.

I used a few of the 6″ x 6″ stencils that I’d purchased for the kid sized shovel that I shared a week or so ago.  They ended up being the perfect size for these bags too.

With the addition of a cheese serving plate and a book with tips on pairing wines and cheeses, the gift basket was complete.

I always enjoy pulling gift baskets like this together, how about you?

I hope I’ve given you an idea or two for your next gift basket!

embracing the dark side.

Published on by Quandie25 Comments

Phew!  I don’t know about you, but I am so done with Christmas projects.  Part of my problem is that I have to start really early (usually in September) in order to get everything done by November.  Well, at least for projects that I am planning to sell.  I always feel like I need to have everything ready to go by the first week in November or I’ve missed the boat.

So by the time Christmas actually gets here, I’m more than ready to move on.  I know many of you probably leave your decorations up through the New Year, but I tend to start taking them down right away.  I’m always champing at the bit to get everything cleared away.

So, while I’m working on that, I thought I’d share my latest lock box makeover.

This one started out pretty rusty and crusty.

I gave it the usual prep; a good sanding to remove any chippy bits and smooth out the rusty spots followed by cleaning with a grease cutting detergent.  Once it was thoroughly dry, I coated it inside and out with Dixie Belle’s B.O.S.S. to block any future bleed thru of rust or dark stains.

Next I painted it inside and out in Dixie Belle’s Silk paint in Anchor.  The Silk line of their paint has a built in primer and top coat, so although I usually prefer to use their chalk style paint on metal, I thought I’d give the Silk paint a go this time.

I have to admit that I was planning to go in a totally different direction with the embellishments on this one.  I was going to use the I.O.D. Rose Chintz paint inlay on the top.  But first I pulled out a left over scrap of gold lettering from the re.design with prima Flower Collector transfer and added it around the bottom of the box.

I have to admit that initially I didn’t like the look at all.  I was even considering just sanding it down and starting over.  I definitely felt like I was stepping outside my comfort zone of Dixie Belle Drop Cloth and black typography.  But then I decided to just keep going and see what happened, and I’m glad I did.

The first thing I did was add a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat over the gold lettering.  That went a long way towards toning down that halo around the letters that always shows up so much more distinctly over dark colors.

Next, I changed my mind about the Rose Chintz inlay.  I felt like it just wouldn’t work with the gold lettering.  I needed something a little darker, a little moodier.  Maybe a little less sweet.

After going through all of my floral transfers, I decided that I.O.D.’s Floral Anthology was the best option.

The florals in this transfer are outlined and shaded with fine black lines and cross hatching which makes it work perfectly over black paint.

After adding another coat of the Dixie Bell flat clear coat to the exterior for protection, I decided that I needed to add a pop of color to the interior rather than leaving it black.  So I painted it in a custom mix of Dixie Belle’s Silk paint.

I mixed this paint up quite a while ago.  At the time I was trying to come close to Annie Sloan’s Scandinavian Pink.

I’d seen Scandinavian Pink on a dresser at a shop out in Henderson, NV while visiting my mom and I thought it was so pretty.  I think I came fairly close with my custom mix of Dixie Belle Silk paint.  I didn’t measure, I just kept adding a little of this and a little of that until it felt right.  I started with mainly their Desert Rose, but it had a slightly cooler/bluer undertone.  So I added some of their Mojave to warm it up.  Then I added a little Drop Cloth to lighten it up just slightly.

I was planning to use the color on the interior of a cabinet that I painted back in February, but I ended up going with an olive green on that instead.  So I pulled out my faux Scandinavian Pink for the lock box.

Since I’d used Silk paint with its built-in top coat on the inside, I didn’t feel that I needed to add an additional top coat.  However, I did end up top coating the exterior because of the addition of the transfers, so I could just as well have used the chalk style paint for the outside.

I staged this as a sewing box.  It would be a convenient place to store your extra buttons, needles and thread, and other sewing paraphernalia.

In the end, I’m glad I decided to go ahead and embrace the dark side.

It’s always good to try something different and just see where it takes you.

That being said, I’ve already gone back to using Drop Cloth. as well at that Rose Chintz paint inlay, on the next toolbox I’m working on.  I’m sure I’ll be sharing that one soon, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, this lock box is for sale.  Be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale’ if you are interested.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the paint and top coat used on this lockbox makeover.