November 2015 | Vintage, Paint and more...

Monday, November 16, 2015

A Dose of DIY - Wooden Snowman

Hi everyone.  Today I am joining a group of great bloggers in the Dose of DIY challenge. This month's theme is Christmas decor made with wood or fabric.  


  
My project is a cute little wooden snowman and I incorporated a bit of fabric with a scarf and hat for him.  Isn't he the cutest.


Vintage, Paint and more... snowman decor made from thrifted wood pieces

I made him with some wood pieces I found at the thrift store one day.  It was a large bag of all sorts of wood pieces - balls, spindles, beads, cubes, etc.  I had no idea what I was going to do with any of it but knew that it would come in handy in the future.

Vintage, Paint and more... thrifted wooden pieces

 For this project I chose the two pieces below - a ball with a flat side and a small cup with a flat bottom.  I turned the cup over and glued the ball's flat side to the flat surface of the cup with some wood glue. Then I let it set for a while to dry.


Vintage, Paint and more... wood pieces used to make a cute snowman

Next I painted it all white except the little bottom lip which I painted black using craft paints.  I used a sharpie to make a face and some buttons down the front.  I love how cute he looks here - but I decided to go a step further.


Vintage, Paint and more...DIY painted wooden snowman


Here's a little closer look at his face. Just two black dots for eyes, a small "u" shape with little dashes in red for a mouth.  Three black dots for buttons.

Vintage, Paint and more... sharpie drawn face on wooden snowman

For the next step I cut a long strip of blue felt about 3/4 inch wide and then cut fringe on each end for a scarf. 

Vintage, Paint and more... fringe cuts on a felt scarf

I then used a thrift store shirt and cut a small square out of the sleeve.  I sewed up the open side to make a tube for a cap.  I then gathered it across the middle.   With this area I cut little bitty strips to make a tassel.  Love this little hat - did you notice it has snowflakes on it?  Perfect...
Before I added the hat and scarf I sprayed him with some hair spray and sprinkled on some glitter ( my new favorite way to add glitter to wooden objects).  Here he is all dressed and glittered  - ready for winter.

Vintage, Paint and more... snowman DIY'd with wooden pieces painted and glittered

I wanted to place him in a bit of a snow setting.  I had a plastic plate I had bought at the dollar store and filled it with Epsom salts and then sprinkled some glitter on that to make "faux snow".


Vintage, Paint and more... "faux" snow made with Epsom salts and glitter

Next I added some bottle brush trees I picked up at the dollar store.

Vintage, Paint and more... bottle brush trees and "faux" snow create a snow scene

Time for our little guy to enter the snow laden woods.  He looks so at home here.

Vintage, Paint and more... A cute DIY wooden snowman in a snow scene created with bottle brush trees and "faux" snow

This little guy is definitely ready for the cold weather and not just for Christmas.  He could be kept around through the winter months to cheer you up. 

Vintage, Paint and more... DIY wooden snowman in a snow scene of bottle brush trees and "faux" snow

Thank you for joining us this month and don't forget to visit the other ladies to see what they have done.  You can find them easily by following the links below.



Vintage, Paint and more... DIY'd wooden snowman in a "faux" snow scene with bottle brush trees

Don't forget to join us next month when we bring you another great challenge.  



Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Vintage Industrial Light

**This post contains a partnership with Parrot Uncle, I was provided with a light and am giving my honest review of it. All opinions and text are my own.**



Hi everyone.  I have been a bit MIA lately as you may have noticed.  Our family had a medical emergency that required my undo attention but all is well and things are perking along just fine.  
If you all have been following me for a while you know that about a year ago we moved into a new home and have been slowly making some changes to it ( we have yet to complete a single room!)  Our latest project has been to paint the entire downstairs area - this turned out to be a huge project for hubby and I and is still yet to be completed.  The area I am sharing with you today is the kitchen eat in area.

Vintage, Paint and more... before picture of  eat in area of kitchen

This is what it looked like when we moved in and we have done nothing to it except let things accumulate here - do you have an area like that?  (I think every house has one.) We did get the painting almost done in here. However we have 10" ceilings and that little bit requires standing on a ladder (something I don't do and hubby hasn't been able to do). Hopefully we will soon be able to finish that little bit and move on to the rest of the room.  (You can actually see that small area in the picture below.)

Vintage, Paint and more... before light fixture in eat in kitchen

This is the light hanging in that little area and although there is nothing wrong with it I wanted something a bit different as I am working towards a vintage industrial look in here.  So when a company called Parrot Uncle contacted me and asked if I would be interested in working with them I jumped at the chance.  A new ceiling light was just the thing I had been looking for to get this makeover started off. 
I found exactly what I was looking for with this Rustic Industrial Style Pendant Light with Black Shade and Cage.  I love the wire cage it has - it reminds me so much of a vintage fan and the black metal has that awesome industrial feel I am going for.  This light has an 18" diameter and the chain and wire has a 39" length for hanging. And most importantly it is so vintage industrial!
Vintage, Paint and more... Parrot Uncle rustic industrial pendant light


Parrot Uncle has so many options that I honestly had a very difficult time choosing just which one I wanted in this area.  They have refined industrial home lighting  and inexpensive vintage pendent lights - something to fit every budget.  There is also a huge sale happening on their web site right now - just in time for the holidays. And Parrot Uncle offers free shipping and free returns.  






Vinage, Paint and more... switching light fixtures

"T" changed the light out for me one evening.  It was a simple switch out - connecting the existing wires to those on the light. The only problem we had was the bracket that held the light's bolts were not in alignment with our ceiling bracket so he had to drill a couple of holes that did line up.  Easy fix and only took a couple extra minutes. 

Vintage, Paint and more... new vintage industrial light

Here it is all installed and hanging beautifully.  I just have to pick up one of the Edison light bulbs for it to make it look more authentic.  I love the black against the new grey of the walls that we now have.  
So if you're in the market for a new light jump on over to Parrot Uncle and check out what they have - so many beautiful styles to choose from - I think you will surely find one you love that will fit in your decor. I know I have my eye on a couple more.

We finally found the exact pieces we want for this area at a new to us thrift store we we visited a couple weeks ago.  However, they are requiring a lot of work to transform them into that vintage industrial look I want. 

Until next time enjoy creating something you love.

I will be linking to the parties listed on the Where I Party page. Please be sure to go by and visit them - I'm sure you'll love all the creativity and inspiration you'll find there.  

Monday, November 2, 2015

Vintage Christmas Wreath


 I think you'll find today's project a little something unexpected.  At least it was for me.  When I found a bag of vintage jello molds (12 for $1) at the thrift store I really had no idea what I was going to do with them let alone make a Vintage Christmas Wreath out of them.  But, I needed a project for a group and these jello molds were sitting on my work desk begging me to do something with them.  I couldn't leave them sitting there so I created a great project for them.  

Vintage, Paint and more... a vintage Christmas wreath made with painted candy stripe vintage jello molds

Isn't this adorable - so whimsical and unexpected.  You would never believe it's made with vintage jello molds.  But with a little paint and glitter, I was able to transform them into this great little Vintage Christmas Wreath.