so. many. things. (a blogiversary giveaway)

Published on by Quandie141 Comments

Did you know that November is statistically the gloomiest month in Minnesota.  It averages just five days with clear skies.  Egads.  Luckily, I have so many things to be grateful for in November to cheer me up.

For one thing, there are lots of birthdays to celebrate.  There is nnK’s birthday, my handyman Ken’s birthday, my niece’s birthday, my brother’s birthday and my own birthday.

November is also the month that I retired from the day job.  Can you believe it has been three years already?!

Then of course there is Thanksgiving, the perfect day for reflecting on gratitude.

And finally, there is my blogiversary.  Today marks 11 years that I’ve been at this blogging thing.

I never thought I would stick it out this long.

Every year around now I start reflecting on why I write this blog, whether or not I want to continue with it, and if so, where to go from here.

As I’ve mentioned many times, I don’t do this for the money.  My blog isn’t monetized, I pay extra for my WordPress account to keep the ads off (because let’s face it, ads on a blog are super annoying).  Although I do sell many of the items I create, those sales barely offset the related expenses.  I also create content for Dixie Belle Paint Co in exchange for free product, but they don’t pay me and I don’t get any commissions from them for sales.

Here’s the thing, I absolutely love blogging.  I really enjoy the creating, the photography, the writing, and the interacting with my very gracious followers.  And now that I’m retired, I have all kinds of time to devote to it.

But lately things have been feeling a bit stale.  I seem to repeat the same sorts of projects year after year.

Painted sleds for Christmas.

Toolboxes galore.

And lots of stenciled cupboard doors.

I post about gardening in the summer.

Well, sometimes in the winter too.

I also post about travel now and then.

That’s Malta, by the way.  It is one of the most beautiful places to arrive in via cruise ship.

  Anyway, I’m wondering if my readers feel like things have gotten a bit stale as well.  There has been a steep drop off in the number of comments I receive.  In 2022 I got 4,439 comments on my posts, and so far for 2024 it’s only 1,513.  Ouch.

My sister tells me that’s because it has become too difficult to leave a comment, are you having that experience as well?  Unfortunately, there isn’t anything I can do about that, that process is regulated by WordPress, not me.

People are still viewing my posts, that number is down slightly, but not nearly as drastically as comments.

So now what?

Well, as I mentioned, I don’t do this for the money.  So it doesn’t really matter what the numbers say.  I also don’t do it for the accolades, although I often have to remind myself of that.  But I take you back to earlier in this post where I said that I do it because I love the process.  As long as I continue to enjoy creating, writing, photographing, gardening and traveling, I’ll just keep at it.

And perhaps my new projects in miniature will help freshen things up a bit going forward.

I’m definitely excited about them.  You’ll certainly see more of them over the coming months.

And that brings me to my annual blogiversary giveaway where I try to pay it forward.

I’m including a few of my very favorite Dixie Belle products; Drop Cloth and Midnight Sky chalk mineral paint, Iron and Bronze patina paint, Blue and Green patina spray, and their Scrubby Soap in orange and lemon.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this soap much, but I absolutely love it for cleaning my paint brushes.  It’s also excellent for getting paint off your hands, as well as dirt (from gardening of course).

The bars have a built in scrubby pad that works right up until all the soap is gone.  I’m also a fan of the citrus scents of the orange and lemon (it also comes in lemon/lime).

But wait, that’s not all!

I’m also including the Christmas themed Lane cedar box, and both of the Dixie Belle transfers that I used on it, Yuletide Hearth and Caroling Cardinals.

Finally, I haven’t forgotten that I promised to include the spare miniature dress form that I created back in October.

She’ll be nestled cozily in the Lane box.

You may not have a dollhouse, but she’d look great on a bookshelf or desktop.

I wish I could give these things to each and every one of you, but unfortunately that isn’t possible.  But please know that I am grateful for any support you give me, whether it’s leaving a comment, purchasing one of my items, or even just simply becoming a follower of the blog.  Thank you so much!

The rules for today’s giveaway:  Simply leave a comment on this blog post and let me know you are still out there.

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

I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Saturday, December 7, 2024 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 $215, if the prize is not claimed by Sunday, December 15, 2024 another name will be drawn at random to win, yada, yada, yada.

Good luck!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying most of the items I’m giving away today!

sewing in miniature.

Published on by Quandie14 Comments

You may have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for vintage linens.

Especially when they feature incredible workmanship like this …

But aside from using beautiful pillow cases for their original function, I rarely come up with a good use for other vintage linens.

However, earlier this fall I came across some vintage hand towels at a garage sale and it occurred to me that they would be perfect for creating some custom bedding for my dollhouse project.

And at $1 each, they were a bargain.

I brought them home and gave them a good soak in OxyClean, and then I hung them on the line to dry in the sun.  That one on the top has some rust stains that didn’t come out, but otherwise they all cleaned up beautifully.

Before I got started on creating my miniature bedding, I had to deal with the bed itself.

I purchased this unfinished bed from The Modern Dollhouse.  It will go in the same room as the armoire that I shared back in October.

So I used the same technique to paint the bed; a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Secret Path, followed by two coats of Drop Cloth.  Then, after sanding to distress the edges and reveal some of the base color, I added more of the re.design with prima Vintage Labels II Middy transfers to the foot board.

I also added just a little section of the transfer to the headboard as well.

All that remained was to turn those pretty vintage linens into some form of miniature bedding.

At first I was going to just sew up some seams by hand, but then I decided maybe it’s time to learn a new skill.  I guess it’s not entirely a new skill, my mom did teach me to sew on a sewing machine when I was young.  She even helped me sew a wardrobe appropriate for an office job when I was in my early 20’s and didn’t have much money to spend on new clothes.

But I haven’t sewn on a machine in decades, and I also didn’t own one.  So I popped onto Amazon and picked out what looked like the most basic sewing machine they had.  I didn’t need anything fancy, I just want to sew a straight seam.

I had to watch a YouTube video to learn how to thread the machine.  Then I practically had to use a magnifying glass to thread the needle, but I eventually got it.  Now don’t ask me for a recommendation on this machine, I’ve only used it to sew a handful of straight lines so far.  I’ll definitely have to use it a bit more before giving an opinion.

After a bit of practice with some fabric scraps, I was ready to sew the duvet for my dollhouse bed.  Honestly, this was super basic.  I just cut out the section of the linen towel that I wanted on the bed, then cut another piece of the towel in the same size for the back.  I sewed three sides together with the right sides of the fabric facing each other, then turned it right side out.  I ran a quick iron over it to press the seams down a bit.

Then I stuffed it with a single layer of batting to make it look like a puffy duvet.

I cut the edge off a separate linen napkin to create the folded over edge of a sheet.

Rather than sew that, I just used hot glue to hold the raw ends in place after tucking them under my duvet.

I did sew up two sides of the little pillow case though, making it out of a folded over piece of scrap.  The pretty edging on the open end is the original edging from the linen towel.

I stuffed it with some batting cut up into small pieces.

I ran a bead of hot glue down both sides of the bed to keep the duvet folded down over the sides.

Not terrible for my first foray into miniature bedding, right?

I’d love to have a full sized version of that duvet on my own bed, wouldn’t that be gorgeous?

If I could do one thing over, I think I would go back and tea dye the linen.  The white is a little bright for my taste, especially next to the Dixie Belle Drop Cloth.  But that’s just one of those perfectionist-y details that matter to me and probably absolutely no one else.

With that, I think I have all the furniture I’m going to need for the ‘guest room’ of my dollhouse.  Next up I have an idea for a wall treatment in that room.  However, I’ve been holding off on bringing the dollhouse inside to work on it.  It’s going to take up a lot of space, and it’s not super portable.  For that reason I was thinking I’d wait until after the Christmas decorations are down before bringing it in the house.  But I’m itching to get started, so I may scrap that idea and just get going on it.  We’ll see.

In the meantime, how do you like my vintage linen duvet?  And do any of you have any sewing tips for me?  If so, I’m all ears!

hidden potential.

Published on by Quandie11 Comments

You may remember that my friend Kathy gave me a bunch of metal boxes last summer.

I just have a few left that haven’t been given makeovers yet, including two plain metal index card boxes that I didn’t really think had much potential.

But then the other day I was watching a YouTube video where the creator was adding Christmas scenes with bottle brush trees and little Santa’s or reindeer into vintage tins (Ginger Chick Rehab), and it looked like so much fun.  But I didn’t have any fabulous vintage tins on hand.

So I decided to try ‘making’ my own out of the two index card boxes.

I started with the smallest box.  I gave it a quick sanding with 150 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface a little to improve adhesion, then I also gave it a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss for the same reason.

Next I gave the box a coat of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth to create a base.  Once thoroughly dry, I pulled out an old re.design with prima transfer called Gingham Red (I’m not sure why it’s called that since both included designs are plaid, not gingham, but don’t let that throw you off).

I had used most of the red plaid on this sled back in 2019 …

But I had just enough left to cover the entire box.

As you can see, it didn’t go on perfectly.  I have a couple of spots where the transfer cracked and you can see the white underneath.  But that’s OK, I wanted the box to appear vintage.

FYI, I did not apply any sort of sealer over the transfer.  I’m never happy with how a topcoat looks over these full coverage sort of transfers.  This little box shouldn’t get much wear and tear, so I think it will be OK without a sealer.

Now for the fun part.  After adding some floral foam inside the box, I hot glued in some bottle brush trees and a cute little reindeer.

Then, after adding some moss around them to hide the floral foam, I tucked in a couple of vintage glass ornaments.

Those of you who are fans of A Christmas Story might appreciate the book I used to stage the photos 😉

I went in a completely different direction with the larger of the two boxes.  I noted that when open, the lid falls all the way back, which didn’t lend itself well to the same treatment as the smaller box.

So instead I decided to just paint it up inside and out with Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage after sanding and giving it a coat of Bonding Boss first.

Then I pulled out I.O.D.’s Fairy Merry Christmas transfer (a 2023 release, now retired).  It has a really beautiful woodland wreath in muted colors.

I had been ‘saving’ it for just the right project.  I’m sure many of you know that feeling.

It was time to just go ahead and use it!

I didn’t want to just slap a wreath on the top of this box, so instead I started cutting it up to make it work on the box.  Part of it went on the front, and another section went on the top.

I also added a stamp to the box.  As I’ve mentioned quite a few times, I’m still struggling to get a result that I like when using rubber stamps.  This was actually attempt no. 2.  The first attempt was too smudged, so I tried to wipe it away with a damp cloth before it dried.  That ended up turning into a eureka sort of moment for me because I really liked the faded image that was left behind (although still not the smudging).

So I painted back over that area, and once the paint was dry I applied the stamp again.  Then I waited about 60 seconds or so, and wiped it away with a damp rag.

I’m sure this technique does not work with just any kind of ink and/or paint.  But in this case I was using VersaFine Clair ink in Pinecone over Dixie Belle paint (a chalk style paint).  I had not sealed my paint before applying the stamp.  I highly recommend playing around with this effect before attempting it on something that might get ruined.

I also added a transfer from the Fairy Merry Christmas set to the inside of the lid.

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

What could one use this box for?

I guess I’m not really sure.  But it definitely is pretty.  And also not overtly ‘Christmas’, so it could be popped onto a bookshelf and left there all year really.

What would you put in it?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for their products used in this makeover.

copper and gold.

Published on by Quandie14 Comments

Good morning from the garden!

It’s been a while since I brought you a Sunday morning in the garden post hasn’t it?

So far we’ve had a rather mild fall.  There have been a handful of nights just below freezing, but nothing really cold.  As a result, I still have some plants that look pretty darn good in the garden, like this Alexander’s Great brunnera …

and my Hakonechloa, or Japanese forest grass.

Up until a few nights ago I could also have said that some of my hostas are still looking great as well.

Except they no longer look like that.  Every last hosta that was still green was chomped down to stalks by roaming deer a couple of nights ago.

I really only seem to have trouble with deer in the early spring when they come and eat all of my tulips, and now apparently in late fall when they turn my hostas into a salad bar.

I’ll count my blessings since they don’t bother my garden in summer.  Knock on wood.

But today’s post isn’t about the deer, or what still looks good in the garden.  It’s about my front window box.  I’ve shared it here many times, but for those who may not be familiar it’s quite large at about 12′ long.  One thing I didn’t really think about when we made it so big was how much it would cost to keep it filled with annuals in the summer, and evergreens in the winter.

Unfortunately I don’t really have anywhere that I can go to forage for free evergreen cuttings so I have to buy them, and they aren’t cheap.  So last year when I went to the Bachman’s after Christmas sale I picked up two lengths of faux evergreen garland for 75% off.  They were originally priced at $79.99 (egads!), so I got them for about $20 each.

I think it looks realistic enough from the street, and no one really gets any closer than that except me.  And now I have a nice, full base to start adding further embellishments to.  Plus I’ll be able to use this over and over for several years at least.

I still have all of the faux red berries that I used in the window box last year.

But I wanted to try something different this year.  That being said, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on all new embellishments.

Plus, I put in a little extra effort in early fall drying quite a few flowers from the garden, like this Astilbe.

And of course, lots of hydrangeas.  So I wanted to use those.

But I didn’t want a ‘brown’ color scheme, so I decided to add a little bling with some metallic spray paint.

I took advantage of some lovely fall weather this past Friday and set up a work area outside to spray paint the flowers.

They hydrangeas look amazing, but I’m not as impressed with the painted astilbe.

I also didn’t love the copper paint as much as the gold.  I chose the matte metallic copper and this is one time when I should have gone shinier.

I had also dried a bunch of allium, and they are awesome painted in gold.

As are the handful of dried poppy seedheads from nnK’s garden.

After tucking all of the painted flowers in with the faux evergreen garland, I decided that I needed to add a few items with a bit more impact.  So I pulled a few different elements out of the workshop and gave them a spray of gold too.

Now, I’m sure that a few of you are wondering how well the painted dried flowers will last.  The answer pretty much depends on our weather.  If we get a heavy snowfall, it will inevitably crush them and they won’t look so good after that.

But hopefully we’ll just get the light and fluffy stuff between now and Christmas.

Fingers crossed!

Are you a fan of the more subtle copper and gold theme this year?  Or did you prefer the pop of red from last year?  Leave a comment and let me know.

the tate modern credenza.

Published on by Quandie26 Comments

I know it was a while back, but do any of you remember when I reviewed Amy Howard’s book Rescue, Restore, Redecorate?

There was a chartreuse green credenza in her book that I absolutely loved.

At the time I mentioned that I’d love to copy that look.

Well, I haven’t quite been brave enough to attempt it on a full sized piece of furniture, but how about a miniature one?

I found this fun mid-mod dollhouse credenza called the Tate Modern Sideboard Dresser at The Modern Dollhouse.

It seemed like the perfect candidate for a bright pop of yellow-ish green, and I had just the color in my stash.

That is Dixie Belle’s Everglades.

It’s not exactly the same shade as that Amy Howard color, but it’s close enough for me.

I painted the outside, and also inside the doors on the left.

To add just a little bit more interest, I used a tiny brush to apply Dixie Belle’s Gilding Wax in Gold to the ‘handles’ and the feet.

Just for fun I decided to create a few miniature boxes of vintage ornaments to stage my credenza.

First up, I downloaded the printable designs from Easy Print & Cut on Etsy for $2.85.

Next I used the templates provided to cut a piece of foam core board to build my box around.  Then after a lot of teeny tiny cutting and folding, I glued the paper around my foam core ‘boxes’.

Yeah, I’m definitely going to need more practice for teeny tiny paper folding projects like this one.  But for my first attempt I don’t think they’re too bad.

FYI, the floor lamp is also from The Modern Dollhouse.

I have to laugh at myself because first of all, I forgot that it actually works.  So I took all of my photos without it on.

Then I thought, ‘wait, doesn’t this actually light up?’  I searched all over it trying to figure out where the switch was and I couldn’t find it.  Then I looked on the The Modern Dollhouse website to make sure I wasn’t imagining that it lit up.  Eventually I did find the little bitty switch at the base of the lamp.

Then I re-took all of my photos with the lamp on.

This piece will eventually find its way into my dollhouse renovation, most likely in the attic rec room.  Or possibly one of the upstairs hallways.

What do you think of a chartreuse credenza?  Would you be brave enough to use this color on a full-sized piece of furniture?  Leave a comment and let me know.

old world european.

Published on by Quandie8 Comments

After completing quite a few Christmas projects in a more traditional red and green, I felt the need to get out one of my favorite neutrals, Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.

It’s such an interesting color.  Is it grey?  Is it green?  Is it beige?  I think it’s a little bit of all three.

Whatever you want to call it, I think works well for creating a primitive sort of look.  So when I was trying to decided what color to paint this rustic box that I found at a garage sale this summer, I decided Dried Sage would be perfect.

Although I love a good distressed paint finish, this box was just a tad too grungy for my taste.  The Dried Sage is not too far off the original color on the box, perhaps a bit less blue.

After giving it a good cleaning, I was able to get good coverage with just one coat of the Dried Sage.  Once that first coat dried, I added a fresh coat to the top of the box so that I could apply one of the I.O.D. Gloria paint inlays into the wet paint.

I just love the sort of old world European look of this inlay.

You can find my full step by step guide to using the paint inlays here.

Once I had the inlay applied, I immediately gave it a quick coat of Rust-Oleum’s matte spray sealer.  It is so easy to smear the paint inlays before they are sealed (trust me, I’ve done it many times), so I don’t start sanding or anything before giving it a quick spray.

Once that was dry, I sanded the edges of the box to distress them and then sealed the entire thing with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

Although ‘noel en famille’ means ‘Christmas with family’, I don’t think the box is in-your-face-Christmas.  Except possibly for French speakers.  So I rather like the idea of using it to store my old family photos.

So although I had originally planned to sell it, I’m going to keep it for that purpose.

While I had both the Dried Sage and the Gloria paint inlay out, I decided to dress up this rustic old bucket as well.

After giving the bucket a good cleaning, I painted it in the Dried Sage and then applied another section from the Gloria paint inlay to it.

By the way, that is Dutch and it says something like peace on earth and goodwill to all.

I’ve staged my bucket with some white linens, ironstone and tarnished silver.

But it would also be the perfect vessel for a small faux Christmas tree.

I also gave this one a coat of the spray sealer to avoid smearing the inlay.

Last up in my trio of Dried Sage Christmas items is this wood tote.

I actually shared this tote back in June when I painted it in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and didn’t embellish it in any way.

It was sort of an experiment to see if it would sell this way.  Spoiler alert; it did not.

So I pulled it back out and added a couple of coats of Dried Sage.  Once the paint was dry, I sanded fairly vigorously and as you can see I ended up with a very distressed look.  That’s likely because I had originally waxed over the Drop Cloth back in June, so that worked as a resist for the Dried Sage.

I know this look isn’t for everybody.  I love it, but if you don’t you may want to use caution when painting over a previously waxed item.

Next I added my Rudolph and Co stencil to the front of the tote using Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean first, and then layering over ‘Rudolph’ and ‘Co’ with Drop Cloth.

That one doesn’t require any translation.  Once dry, I sealed it with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

Once again I staged my piece with some white linens and ironstone.

But you could use this tote to create a table centerpiece with evergreens and candles.  Or use it for your Christmas buffet to hold silverware and napkins.

I took these last two items into Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater, MN where I sell on consignment.  So if any of you locals are interested, be sure to head down there soon!  They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Check out their Facebook page for more details.

As for the rest of you, what do you think of neutrals for Christmas?  Are you a fan of the old world European look of the paint inlays I used, or do you prefer the more modern ‘Rudolph & Co’ stencil?  Leave a comment and let me know.

another failed experiment.

Published on by Quandie16 Comments

Well, I promised to report back on my craft show experience and I have to tell you all that it was a total bust.  For me anyway, opK had better results.

Honestly, I just have to laugh about it.  It clearly was not the right venue for me.  Our booth did rather stand out amongst the Pampered Chef, Scentsy, socks and American Girl doll clothes.  There wasn’t even very much Christmas decor, let alone any that was vintage.

The location itself was a bit of an issue as well since there was very limited cell service.  I had service on my phone with t-mobile, but anyone who had AT&T had no service at all.  That made both Venmo and credit card transactions difficult.  Luckily we had an exterior door right in our booth, so people could step outside to get a signal.  It definitely was not a great set up.

opK’s clocks and lanterns were a big hit.  She sold quite a few of them.  In fact, I even purchased one of her clocks myself.

The original turquoise paint really spoke to me.

On the other hand, I only sold two things all day.  The first was a vintage measuring cup with a little faux feather Christmas tree in it.

It was only $10.

My second sale was one of my stenciled drop cloth stockings.

The woman who purchased it loved that it looked like a vintage grain sack with German writing on it.

Although I had also had some stockings with red stripes …

and also some stockings with stencils in English …

She just wanted the German writing, and unfortunately I only had one of those with me.

My friend Sue sewed these stockings up for me out of drop cloth, and I stenciled them back in 2022.  I’d attempted to sell them at the shop in 2022, and again in 2023.  I’d finally priced them super low at $5 each and tried to sell them at the Carriage House sale with no luck.

So, yeah, if you’re doing the math, I had a whopping $15 in sales for the entire day.

It was definitely disappointing, but now I know that this sort of venue isn’t going to work for me.

It probably didn’t help that there was fierce competition, especially for people who love vintage.  The Holly Jolly Market was also taking place this past weekend.

I definitely think I’d fit in better there.

Well, as they say, live and learn.  I’m not sure if will ever pursue doing another market of this kind, but if I do I’ll try to find one that better suits my style for sure.

How about you?  Have you ever sold at a craft show or market?  Or do you have a favorite holiday market near you?  Leave a comment and let me know.

christmas schoolhouse chairs.

Published on by Quandie5 Comments

A little while back I purchased a pair of schoolhouse chairs at my friend Amy’s garage sale.

Super cute ‘as is’ really.  But I decided to give them a holiday look.

I painted one of them in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and the other in their English Ivy.

Then I went through my stash of stencils.  I have a few that fit on these little chairs.

In the past I’ve used this cute Milk & Cookie Co stencil from Wallcutz …

… a few times actually …

and this cute Christmas Farm stencil.

This sort of Scandinavian look was a good one too.

Sorry, I’m not quite sure where those last two stencils came from.

I liked the simpler look of this next stencil on more of a mid-mod style chair (stencil also from Wallcutz).

I may do another one like this yet this year.

But I was in the mood for something new on these two chairs, so I started searching online.  I ended up finding a stencil I liked from Three Birds Stencils on Etsy, and I was able to order it in the right size to fit my chairs.

I added it to the green chair using DB’s Drop Cloth, and to the white chair using their Coffee Bean, just in case someone out there prefers a more neutral Christmas color scheme.

I’ll be bringing both of these chairs to the craft show that I’m participating in tomorrow.

Unless of course a local reader wants to call dibs on either (or both) of them today.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

As for the rest of you, leave a comment and let me know which of my many chairs was your favorite!

a new adventure.

Published on by Quandie7 Comments

This coming Saturday I’m sharing a booth at a craft show with my friend opK.

This is going to be a mostly new experience for me.  I say ‘mostly new’ because I did share a booth at Junk Bonanza way back in 2014.  You can click on this link if you want to read the full story, but here was my review of that experience in a nutshell after it was over:

“In the end the question is, “would I do it again?” and the answer is, probably not.  It was fun to be a part of it once, but it was a ton of work.  I did make a little more money than I make at my occasional sale, but that was ultimately eaten up by the overhead expenses of renting a truck, paying for half the booth rental, and gas to drive to Shakopee for 4 days.  In addition, there were a lot of ‘rules’!  No merchandise newer than 40 years old, no leaving early even if sales are so low that you are sitting there for nothing, you are supposed to wear official Junk Bonanza shirts, etc, etc.  I have to follow enough rules at my day job, I didn’t need them added to my fun hobby job.”

LOL, I have to laugh at that last part about the day job.  Don’t have to worry about that one anymore 😉

Anyway, this time it’s going to be a much less intense experience.  For one thing, it’s only for one day, rather than 4.  Second, we’re only driving to Stillwater (much closer to me than Shakopee).  Third, I won’t have to rent a truck because I’m not bringing any large furniture.  Finally, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to wear an official shirt.

All of that being said, I also have no idea if the shoppers at this particular craft show will be at all interested in our vintage aesthetic.  I fit right in at Junk Bonanza, but I’m not sure what sort of crowd (optimistically?)  this event will draw.

Speaking of our vintage aesthetic, opK popped over with a few of her items the other day so that I could photograph them.

She creates adorable Christmas scenes in vintage clocks and lanterns.

And most (all?) of them light up.

They are totally charming.  This next pink one is one of my favorites.

She has done a few of the lit up scenes in vintage wooden boxes as well.

I’m just in love with this aqua velvet reindeer.

Isn’t he pretty?

She also has a mishmash of other vintage finds that she has dressed up for Christmas.

As do I.

I’ll have a couple pairs of painted skates for sale.

And a few other things too, like my stenciled stockings.

And a few of my boxes.

So if you’re local and you’ve got some free time on Saturday, be sure to stop by.

And if you’re not local, be sure to stay tuned.  I’ll update you next week on how it went and whether or not I would do it again!

dreaming of a pink christmas.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

Anybody else out there love a little bit of pink at Christmas?

Back in 2017 I painted all of my Christmas gift boxes pink and then used Fusion’s transfer gel to add some graphics that I printed out.

And then there was my Venetian velvet inspired pink and gold stenciled wrapping paper from 2018.

In 2019 I turned an old vintage pink dustpan into Christmas decor.

So when I was going through my paint cabinet trying to decide on a color for the inside of the toolbox that I’m sharing today, I saw Dixie Belle’s Pink Champagne and thought “yes, perfect!”

But let’s go back and start at the beginning.

My friend Sue gave me this toolbox for my birthday many years ago.  She had added a number sticker on either side.

It was simple, but I like simple.  I used it to store scrapbook supplies.

A while back I used it as a guinea pig to try out the then new I.O.D. white Traditional Pots transfers.  I removed the number stickers and painted over just that bit of the box with black chalk paint, and then applied the white transfer.

I liked that look quite a bit too.

But recently as part of my Swedish Death Cleaning kick, I really pared down my scrapbooking supplies and I ended up emptying out this entire container.  Then I put it in my stash for a makeover.

I pulled it out recently thinking that it would be fun to give it a Christmas look, but using a stencil this time rather than a transfer.  I wanted to keep the black outside, but the original interior was a dull white that definitely needed a refresh.  And that brings me to the Pink Champagne.  I love the idea of pink for Christmas, and I also think pink pairs beautifully with black.

The Pink Champagne is a cool and quite pale pink, sort of an icy pink.  Perfect for a pink Christmas.

And by the way, I did clean the box, sand it lightly and then add a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss before I got started with the painting.  After two coats of the Pink Champagne, I applied a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat over it.

Now this box would be perfect for storing all of my pink and silver vintage ornaments.

Next up I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky to the outside of the box to freshen it up a bit.  Once the Midnight Sky was dry I started stenciling.

There were several steps involved in the stenciling, with drying time in between.  I first added the “Rudolf and Co” section in DB’s Dried Sage on both sides of the box.  Then I went back in and added the “Fine Reindeer Treats” to both sides of the lid, also in Dried Sage.  Then I came back in and went over just the “Rudolph” and the “Co” in Drop Cloth.

I’ve gotten so much use out of this stencil from Wallcutz.  I have it in two sizes (it comes in 7 different sizes), the bigger one was perfect for making the ‘foot board sign’ that I kept for myself and put up every Christmas.

I’ve used the smaller one on countless items like boxes …

and trucks …

and grain shovels.

I’m not always good about cleaning my stencils after use, so this one is getting a bit worn out after so many uses and it’s not as crisp as I would like it to be.  I may have to order a new one.  I used it on a couple of other items this year that you’ll be seeing soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’m not really going to store my pink and silver ornaments in this box.  I really just store them in a bigger box along with the other colors.  So this box is for sale locally (check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details).

Are you a fan of pink at Christmas?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Co for supplying their products used in the this makeover.