The Polka Dot Closet

Gesso and Paint Finish

2012-02-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

I just had to try using gesso and paint

I follow Rosemary's blog Villabarnes and she has perfected the art of old world finishes using gesso

I painted this previously gold frame with slate blue by rust-oleum, followed by a good thick coat of gesso

Then used a rag to wipe some of the gesso back off. Gesso is found in the art department of any craft store

I love that it is perfectly imperfect!

These two wall sconces were next

Until the two became one......I dropped the other one on the garage floor and it broke...poop!

Rosemary has tons of variations on her blog using different colored paints and gesso

I definitely will use this method again!

These will be going to the "Fancy Flea" in April

How'd I do Rosemary???

Only 5 days until the dress form ball!!!

Happy Creating!
Carol

How To Dry Brush Paint

2012-01-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

I think of it as the lazy girls painting method, it's quick and easy

You can whip out a stool like this in about 10 minutes and...

...Anything dry brushed sells great in my booth, it is a
perfectly imperfect shabby finish that people love

I started with a very average stool. Instead of sanding, I wipe it with a product called deglosser available in any paint department, it removes the shine and allows the paint to adhere

lightly dip the very tip of the paint bristles in paint then tap on a paper towel

Start by lightly brushing the furniture....

Then with more pressure, keep brushing until the brush is completely out of paint and repeat. I dipped the brush 3 times to complete this piece of wood

I added a waterslide decal with a graphic from Graphics Fairy

Here is the dry brush method on a plate stand.....

...Dry brushed using white paint

This is a no fail paint method, when you are painting, you will think oh my gosh this is so ugly, but when you stand back, you'll get the whole picture!

And if you still don't like it, nothing lost, just paint like you usually do and consider the dry brushing a coat of primer

Happy Creating!

Carol

Electric Spray Painter For Casual Or Big Time Do It Yourselfers

2012-01-27T10:32:00.002-05:00

I'm sooooo excited! I found a paint sprayer that is inexpensive and easy to use...This is NOT a sponsored post!

This paint sprayer is going to save me tons of time and money!

I tried an electric paint sprayer a few years ago and it was a disaster, I had paint everywhere, and cleaning it was a nightmare!

I refinish tons of furniture for my antiques booth and now I'm doing a lot for the "Fancy Flea", a show I'm doing in April

I started Googling around and found Command Max

Here is some of what I had to paint last weekend

In 2 hours including drying time for primer and 2 coats of paint

I was done....Are you kidding me!!

Lets get to the good part...Command Max's website has this paint sprayer priced at $89.99 and with shipping it comes to $102.00...But Wait......I called the company and asked if there was any retail stores that stocked it, they said Ace Hardware, I called Ace and they ordered one in for $69.99!!! Now, lets do the math, how many cans of spray paint is that at $5-$6 a can???

Clean up is a snap, you fill the canister with warm soapy water and spray it through. Then wash these 3 pieces...DONE!

The instructions tell you to thin the paint. To test if it is thin enough you run it through their viscosity gauge and time how long it takes

Don't panic, I did it one time and then I was able to gauge how thin the paint should be. I added a few tablespoons of water to the paint and it worked just fine. Us Diy folks hate to mess around with this stuff.

Here's a few details

There is minimal overspray, if you watch the video on their website, they show it being used on inside walls (I'm not so sure I would try that)

This is great for custom mixing your own paint colors. I have never tried chalk paint, but I am sure it would work fine

I wouldn't use this if I had something small like a picture frame to paint, but if I had anything bigger, like a small table, it is sooo worth it!

The first time you use it, it will seem too powerful, but by the second time you use it, you will feel like you have just defeated the canned spray paint gods!

My coffee table went from this

To this in minutes

With a little distressing, a homemade plaster applique, and brown glaze

I wish this had been available years ago

It's perfect for the casual or big time furniture refinisher!

This company has no idea I exist, I'm just so excited I wanted to share it with you

Happy Creating!

Carol

Joining Ivy and Elephants

How To Alter A Vintage Doily

2012-01-25T10:56:00.004-05:00

I often find vintage doilies that are less than perfect, but I never throw them out, I alter them

The crochet work is gorgeous, but often the fabric it's crocheted around was not the best, but the best they had and it's torn or stained from years of use

I don't pass up vintage, stained or torn doilies, and I never throw them out, I just alter them

It's very easy to do, the full instructions are on this post "crochet doily pillows"

You can fill the center with any fabric to match your decor

The Paris doily and perfume bottles are explained in this post "Copying images onto fabric"

The images are all from Graphics Fairy

I made these to sell at the "Fancy Flea" in April

The Dress form ball is February 7-14

And I don't want anyone to be left out, If you do not have a blog, but would like to show your dress form, please send me a picture of your form. My email is in the upper left corner of this blog, I'll make sure you get to the ball (Thanks for this great idea Laurie)

Happy Creating!

Carol

Joining:
Graphics Fairy
At the Picket Fence
No Minimalist Here

14 Days Until The Dress Form Ball!

2012-01-23T10:43:00.000-05:00

The Dress Form Linky Party is just 14 days away

February 7-14.....Sweet! And there is going to be a dress form giveaway

Your hostess is getting ready and has finally decided what she is wearing to the ball.

One of you (I can't remember who) called it a dress form ball, I do remember her dress forms name is Belle.

Hum, I wonder who is going to be the "Belle" of the ball?

ALL dress forms welcome!

12 feet or 12 inches tall

Paper, metal, wood

Old or New

Dressed or ala natural

Homemade or store bought

Old post or New Post

As many dress form Posts as you like

We Love them all!!!!

If you have never linked, Here is a great post on how to link to a Linky party by "Beneath My Heart"

If you can't figure out how to link up, email me when your post is up and
I will link it for you!
My email button is in the top left corner. All I will need is your blog address and I will do the rest, No one is getting left out of this party!

And to sweeten the pot Barr Display has generously offered to give a dress form to one lucky lady that leaves a comment at the dress form ball!!

This is two parts, the form and the base.

The form can be used alone and has a swivel hanger.

The form is $8.98

The base is $12.00

The form and base are #8020 and come in black and white. Put #8020 into search

The shipping is actual cost and should be around $7-$8

Barr Display is the store.

Have you figured out yet what you're wearing to the ball??

Happy Creating!

Carol

Can't leave a comment, not getting comments, pages freezing? Here's the fix!

2012-01-22T01:54:00.001-05:00

I thought you had all lost that loving feeling. I wasn't getting many comments

If you are not getting many comments

If you can't leave a comment

If you are visiting a blog and the pages are freezing

Here's the problem and the fix

Blogger introduced a new feature for people who use the imbedded comment format (As opposed to those who have a pop up or full page comment boxes). Everything got messed up and they have not yet been able to fix it.

Some people who comment with Internet Explorer (Not those using Safari or Firefox) on a post with imbedded format, are not able to comment. If they search other pages in your blog the pages freeze

Here's the work around as they do not yet have a fix

Change your comments to "Pop up" or "Full Page". Go to Dashboard>Settings>Comments> And change it

If you are unable to comment on a blog, let the blog owner know to change her settings to "Pop up" for comments. I am sure many blogs have no idea this is going on as they are still receiving some comments from people that don't use Internet Explorer

Geez, it sure would have been nice of Blogger to let us know this was a problem! I found it by searching forums

This public service announcement was brought to you by

The Polka Dot Closet

Have a great Day!

Carol

I Can Cross This Off My Bucket List!

2012-01-19T11:08:00.002-05:00

I've had an antiques booth for years, but I have always wanted to do a show, or a fair, or whatever you want to call it. I thought maybe it was a pipe dream, I would need a tent, and a trailer or rental truck to get my wares to the fair, then someone to drive the truck and I couldn't do a show alone.

Then when I had my annual Ladies Champagne brunch in December

I was telling one of my friends about the "Fancy Flea" (I called it Shabby Flea in my post, it's tough being blonde) I went to in November, I said "I would love to do a show like that some day".

Paris Rags Booth

She said "I'll do it with you, I have an enclosed trailer and a tent" (She's my friend and you can't have her)!

So, I'm off on my adventure!

Florida Ladies Mark your Calendars:

The Polka Dot Closet is an official exhibitor at the

Fancy Flea

April 28, 2012

10-4

In Downtown Lakeland Florida, a cute little historic town 1 hour south of Orlando and a 1/2 hour north of Tampa

Lets see, I need to get crackin on merchandise. I think the aprons will sell well

And I made up some tussie mussies

Now I think I'm a hat milliner, I have a dozen vintage hats, but they are all plain and need some fancying up, they should be perfect for the Flea. I'll keep you posted as I attempt to fancy up these hats!

I'm on the look out for a ton of small tables, chairs and stools. I found this little gem just as she is and added a waterslide decal. Ok, I have one piece of furniture done!

This is going to be so fun!

I'm gratefully accepting any and all advise and tips!

Happy Creating!

Carol
Linking with
Cottage Market

Shabby Little Table With Plaster Appliques

2012-01-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

This table needed a little shabby loving

I brushed it with Heirloom white paint. I had a gallon of heirloom white paint made by having the cap of the Rustoleum Heirloom white spray paint color matched at the paint department

Spray paint can get expensive, so when I can, I brush!

I sanded to make it chippy and added my
homemade plaster applique roses

And put it in my booth at Orange Tree Antiques for $45 and..........

.....It sold immediately...Yea!

Are you getting your dress forms ready?

If you have never joined a linky party, HERE is an excellent step by step tutorial by "Beneath My Heart", complete with pictures!

Do you remember me saying there was something I wanted to do that was on my "Bucket list"? Well, I'm going to do it! I'll tell you all about it next post!

Happy Creating
Carol

Joining:
Savvy Southern Style

T shirt transfer Stool

2012-01-12T09:58:00.004-05:00

I have had this stool since I went to my first auction and just got around to the transformation

The gold cover had to go, but I thought the legs were nice and surprise...I did not paint them white!

I first tried using my vintage rubber stamps, but when I laid the fabric over...Nope I didn't like it. If at first you don't succeed....

...Try, try, again! I used a graphic from Graphics Fairy and applied it with T shirt Transfer paper. A little tip here, I always think an enclosed design looks best when using T shirt transfer paper.

As opposed to using word graphics where you can see the transfer paper in between the letters or design. I explain it in detail on my

T shirt transfer post

In keeping with never throwing anything out, this is the crochet edge of a vintage table cloth, even though the fabric of the table cloth was shot I still bought it just for the beautiful crochet

The fabric was a $1.50 linen shower curtain from the Ikea sale bin. The crochet trim was applied with Fabri -Tac, a glue from craft stores

Billie was driving me crazy today, half of the pictures I took were of Billies, butt, tail, or face!
She's so darn cute I had to forgive her!

I put the stool in my booth at Orange Tree and priced it at $38.00

Mark your calendars for my Dress Form Linky Party February 7-13

I had a few people ask if the party was for any size dress form? YES, little ones, big ones, pin cushion, all dress forms are welcome! Here is my post on where to buy inexpensive dress forms

Happy Creating!

Carol
Linking with
Between Naps On the Porch
Graphics Fairy

Dress Form Linky Party, Yep, I am going to take the leap

2012-01-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

I am going to make the leap into
"Big girl" blogging!
I'm going to have a one time Dress Form Linky Party
February 7-13th!

I wanted to give you some time to get the girls (Dress Forms) ready for the party. Old, new, homemade, altered, big, small......All forms are welcome.

Link up as many dress form posts as you like, old posts, new posts..No sense reinventing the wheel if you already have a dress form post

I even followed Debbiedoo's tutorial and made myself a blog button, oh ya, I'm getting real fancy now!
The back ground graphic I got free at "Free Pretty Things for You" and the dress form was from "Graphics Fairy"

I'm a little nervous, I have never done a linky Party
(I have no idea how, but I'll figure it out LOL)
My biggest fear is no one will show up and then I will be the big

LOSER BLOGGER
Now, I know some of you don't have dress forms and wouldn't be caught dead with one in your house, but for those of you that do, I would be eternally grateful if you would participate and save me from
The Blogger Hall of Shame!!
If you think your readers might enjoy participating, you can grab my new Fancy button for your side bar
And don't worry, I will ~~hound~~ remind you of the party in my posts

So, what do you say, are you in???
Happy CreatingCarol

Smalls For My Antiques Booth

2012-01-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has an antiques booth, online, or Brick and mortar store would love to sell only big ticket, big profit items. The reality is, the "Smalls" as we call them in

The biz (Groan) make up a large percentage of our sales.

"Smalls" are all the little items we sell to fill up our shelves and fill in around the big ticket items

Over the Holiday I spent a fun day working on transforming some smalls

A small tool box

I painted yellow and then applied a waterslide decal with graphics from the Graphic Fairy

Two vintage metal frames

Got a coat of white paint and rose prints from an old Avon address book

An Old Avon jar, always a good seller when I...

...Spray the lid heirloom white and lightly distress

An antique mirror went from brown

To a fresh white with rose waterslide decals

A wire boot

Got a coat of white paint and along with the little picture some ribbon and bling

Candle sticks are a great seller...

...When I paint them white and hang a couple crystals on the arms. I get my crystals from Freedom Crystal

And that completed a day of smalls!

All ready for my booth at Orange Tree, nothing is priced over $20

A note for those who might want more details: I prepare everything before I paint by wiping it with a deglosser, you can find it in the paint department. I spray one coat of primer and then 2 coats of Rustoleum Heirloom white. Depending on the piece I follow with one coat of a clear satin acrylic spray or wipe on poly acrylic.

Happy Creating!

Carol

Fabric Flower Bridal Bouquet

2012-01-02T10:19:00.006-05:00

When My future DIL was here for Christmas she told me about the latest trend in bridal bouquets for vintage themed weddings, I just had to try making one

Before I get started I want to thank you for your feed back on my New Years post, "The meanest comment I received in 2011". Your comments were hilarious!

So, the future DIL is planning a vintage themed wedding. She reads my blog (Bonus points) and saw the fabric flowers I make being used in bridal bouquets

So we set off to get the supplies....an assortment of fabrics in her colors

We picked light weight polyester lining fabrics, laces, and tulle. Then we went through my bling box and picked out an assortment of vintage pins.

I used a plastic flower holder from the craft store. You could use a wooden dowel, but since I did not have one on hand I used part of a vintage hanger

I cut, hot glued, and pushed it through the holder

Then covered the handle with ribbon

I used a half styrofoam ball

And pinned fabric around it

Then removed the lace the holder came with and replaced it with antique tulle and hot glued the half ball on the holder

Time for some fun! I made up 9 fabric flowers the tutorial is HERE

And pinned them on to get the placement right before hot glueing them in place

I filled in with antique and vintage laces and tulle then added 13 vintage rhinestone and pearl pins

We have no idea if the bouquet will work with her dress

But she might be able to use it somewhere in the wedding decor

The reception venue has a fireplace mantle where the DIL wants to display family wedding pictures

My Dad was 17 and Mom was 21 (Cougar) when they got married

Maybe this new trend will replace tussie mussies in our romantic decor

It would even be pretty next to my dress form in a milk glass vase

Since the wedding is in November my dress form will watch over this lovely bouquet until we decide its fate

This project took many hours to complete, but who's counting when you're having fun!

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking with
My Girlish Whims
Savvy Southern Style
Ruby Jean
Knick of Time
Sugar Bee Crafts
Coastal Charm

My Meanest Comment in 2011...But, Oh So Funny!!!

2011-12-29T10:17:00.002-05:00

I wanted to end 2011 with a good laugh!

Last March I posted about a gun rack I transformed into a plate rack

I LIKED the way it turned out

Now, wait for it......You'll get a "Bang" out of this!

First I have to tell you, I had tons of Google hits on this post and I think it was the Boys wearing camouflage looking for a gun rack and one of them did not like what I did with a gun rack!

The comment came in as Anonymous....Surprise. I didn't publish it, but I did save it just for you!

Here it is just as I received it bad spelling and all!!

Of all the things to do with a gun rack... Why would you

turn it into little miss muffets` half assed attempt at

decorariting an old ladies senior home! Forget the plates

and load it with depends, cause the only person with taste

that bad is going to need them!

By Anonymous on How to turn a gun rack into a plate rack

on 7/6/11

Are you snorting with laughter?

Now, I subscribe to the saying "If you don't have anything

nice to say...Don't say anything at all"

But, I got the last laugh, I sold the plate rack to a

20 something hip girl

....And from what I could tell she was not wearing DEPENDS

AND SHE CERTAINLY DID NOT LIVE IN AN

Old Ladies Senior Home

Ok, so I had one bad comment, but I want to thank you for

4721 Kind, sincere, and inspiring comments I received in

2011

Happy New Years

And

Happy Creating!

Carol

Vintage Paper Covered Suitcase and Shelf

2011-12-27T09:33:00.002-05:00

I had such a great Christmas. What a whirlwind of fun!

My last project before Christmas was to transform this train case screaming"Make me over"

This time I got my "paper" from Crafty Secrets an online craft store carrying vintage paper and art stamps. They Sent me a CD to tryout filled with vintage patterns and extras.

You can use the graphics on the CD just as they are or you can put them in photoshop, alter the colors, and layer on extras, like I did with the rose...Complete with great instructions!

The color of this suitcase was in the ball park of the paper I choose

I simply printed the vintage pattern onto regular copy paper

Then Mod Podged it onto the suitcase. One little tip is to brush the Mod Podge onto the suitcase and then lay the paper on top, if you get to heavy applying the Mod Podge, it may make the ink run...Bummer!

I finished the suitcase off by hot glueing (After trying many glues, hot glue was the only thing that did not bleed through and discolor the ribbon) ribbon over the seams and giving it a spray of Walnut ink for a little age.

I also used printed vintage paper from the CD on this cute little shelf

Both are headed to my booth at Orange Tree. We are in season at the antique mall between snowbirds and tourist, I'm having a crazy time trying to keep my booth stocked, and loving every minute of it!!

Happy Creating!

You won't want to miss my post on Thursday. I'm going to reveal my meanest comment (Hysterical) of 2011!

Carol
linking with
Ruby Jean
Ivy and Elephants

Wishing You a Merry Christmas, This Picture Says It All

2011-12-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

Babyboy is leaving tonight to drive 13 hours from DC to Orlando (Add a few grey hairs) to join us for Christmas. Before I sign off for the holiday I wanted to share with you this email I received from a friend.

So the story goes....This Nativity scene was erected in a church yard and during the evening some parishioners came across this scene

An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable, protected place to sleep. No one had the heart to send him away, so he was there all night, curled up in the comfort of baby Jesus' lap

To make it even sweeter, the dog breed is a shepherd

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!

Carol

Collecting Vintage Wedding Dresses

2011-12-19T09:46:00.002-05:00

I have a thing for wedding dresses. I love them......looking at them,touching, photographing,and only occasionally selling them

This is my newest purchase,it was $12.00. Theres a lot of lace and fabric on this dress for $12.00

I buy them thinking I will use the fabric, lace,or appliques for other projects, Occasionally I do...

....But, usually I don't

Believe it or not there's more

Lets keep this little obsession of mine a secret. It's a good thing the future DIL already has a dress because...

...I just couldn't possibly part with one of mine!

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking with:
Sew-Crafty Tuesday
Knick of Time

Vintage Bottle Labels

2011-12-15T12:08:00.002-05:00

I'm in love with vintage bottles...Along with wedding dresses, fabric, lace, buttons, etc. etc.

I picked up a box of bottles at auction

And added water slide decals on these seltzer bottles with graphics from Graphics Fairy

While the water slide decal was still wet I rubbed it to take some of the writing off, I love the translucent effect I get from the water slide decals

I'm thinking these look 100 years old...OK, Maybe 20 years old

I kept one to put in my linen cupboard

and priced the other two at $10.00 and put them in my booth at Orange Tree

So, what's your weakness?? fabric,lace,bottles,buttons.........

Happy Creating!

Carol
Linking with:
Graphics Fairy
My Romantic Home

Ladies Only Champagne Holiday Brunch

2011-12-12T11:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was sooo much fun, my annual

"Ladies only champagne holiday brunch". I had the candles lit and the tree dressed

I'm embarrassed by my minimal holiday decorating. Some of your houses are literally jaw dropping, I had no idea how much decorating people did until I started blogging

That's it kids...YIKKES I hope I don't get kicked out of blog world!

Whats a good shabby tree without a princess crown.....See it right in the center of the tree?

On to the party......

My dress form was keeping watch over the champagne punch bowl

Of course there was coffee and tons of food....I didn't take a picture of the food.....geez!

One benefit of having a small house is when I have more than 15 guests it seems like a huge party because we're packed in like sardines!

Here's some of my guests.....Kelly, Eileen, and Liz

Luci and my Mom

Oh, I hate to tell you folks "Up North", but it was a gorgeous day here in Orlando so, I set the outside tables

Which gave me more room

I hate pictures of myself, but I guess bloggers like to know who the person behind the blog is sooooooo....OK

If I make the picture smaller it's not quite so bad!

Do you have any Christmas parties planned?

Carol

How To Make a Romantic Lace Covered Dress Form/Giveaway Winner

2011-12-08T02:09:00.012-05:00

Before I show you how I made this lace covered dress form...
I want to thank everyone that entered the dress form giveaway, goodness what a response!
We love our dress forms! OK time to announce the winner....Drum roll please....By Random number generator...CeeKay-Thinkin of Home!

I had a blast making this lace dress form. This is where you pull out the good stuff, the vintage lace, appliques, and bling you have been saving

All you need is a glue gun

I'm inserting a public service announcement here. I purchased a low heat glue gun, it's fabulous, and your fingers will thank you! It 's all I use now, I can put my finger right in the glue and no burns! I don't see any difference in the strength of the glue at all!

I laid the form on her back and covered her with lace, pulling the lace tight and hot glueing around the outside edge then adding a few dots of glue between the bust.

Now, it's time to have some fun.

Glueing on the precious things I had been saving. Look close, you will see a vintage lace collar down the sides, appliques I took off a vintage dress, pearls.....

...Circles of vintage lace I bunched together to formed a plunging V and topping it off with hand rolled silk flowers from a vintage veil along with pearls and a pin. I finished by adding a little skirt of vintage lace

That's it, you can do this!!

Thank you again for your huge response to this giveaway and thank you Barr Display!

I think every girl deserves a dress form and this one (Undressed) is only $20.95
Here's the details on ordering

I'd like to see a show of hands....Do you own a dress form, vintage, new, full, half, hanging...Any form?

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking with:
Chic on a Shoe String
Pearls and Lace Thursday
Free Pretty Things for you
Sweet Peas and Bumble Bees
Someday Crafts

Beyond The Picket Fence

Dress Form Giveaway!!!

2011-12-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

Drawing closed

I'm so excited to giveaway a dress form to one lucky follower to transform anyway you like!

When I first posted this dress form covered with sheet music last May, I wrote in the post "Just so you know, Barr Display (the company that sells the dress forms) has no idea I exist"

Fast forward 7 months, they now know I exist! I received thousands of hits on that post,and the company that sells them "Barr Display" started receiving orders.

Julia their sweet Marketing Manager said We'd love to give YOU one to transform (The Lace One) and

Give a dress form away To a follower to transform anyway they choose!!

If you don't win, you can purchase this dress form for only $20.95

This is two parts, the form and the base.

The form can be used alone and has a swivel hanger.

The form is $8.98

The base is $12.00

The form and base are #8020 and come in black and white. Put #8020 into the search box

The shipping is actual cost

Barr Display is the store.

Barr Display also carrys everything you need for store displays

This Giveaway is closed

Good Luck!

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking to :
Ivy and Elephants

The Little Green Side Table With Personality

2011-12-01T10:43:00.003-05:00

This is the little side table that most people would pass up, but I know you see the potential!

Oh, look at the cute features before..... The scalloped edges, the shelves and drawer. Most people would see an old scratched up side table.

I had to sand and use Zinsser primer so the stain would not bleed through

I used Heirloom white paint and a green clearance paint from Hobby Lobby

And finished off the drawer with a Laura Ashley wallpaper

I switched up the knobs, I'll save the original knobs for another project

I sanded the edges to shabby it up a little and put it in my booth at Orange Tree for $45

I loves it!... And I love you guy's, thank you for always taking the time to leave a kind word

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking with
Alchemy
My Romantic Home
Miss Mustard Seed

Sending Christmas Post Cards and Ladies Champagne Brunch Invites

2011-11-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

For the last few years I have sent Christmas Post Cards instead of regular cards. I do it for a few reasons. I can print them out with a short Christmas letter (No one wants to read one of those long letters) on the front. And a very short, yet personal note to the recipient on the back, plus I save money on postage!

I print 4 to a sheet of card stock

I blurred out names and details so the blog stalking boggie men would not get me!

I use a postcard rubber stamp on the back, but you could just draw a line to divide where you are going to write a note and the address

Then my personal note...Lord, I have the worst handwriting in the world!

I have 45 Cards ready to be mailed! I feel like super women!!

I also printed and addressed 25 post card invites to my annual

"Ladies only Champagne Holiday brunch"

This is way to fun! Every year, my lady friends come over after church, dressed in their Sunday best and we have brunch, an ornament exchange, and tons of chit chat....it's a whirlwind 2 hours. I started having it on Sundays years ago because everyone seemed to have so many commitments on Friday and Saturday during the Christmas season. It's a great way to stay connected with my girlfriends from all walks of life, it might be the only time we have been able to get together all year!

Do you host any parties over the Holidays?

Happy Creating!

Carol

Vintage Book Candle Holder

2011-11-26T19:46:00.007-05:00

I have so many old books so I thought....Hum, I wonder if I could make them into candles holders? This might look good for holiday decorating?

I started by tracing around my candles

Then I clamped the book together leaving the back jacket out of the mix so I could cut through the pages, then glue the back cover to hold the candles in place

I used my jigsaw for the big hole and these red thingys on my drill to cut the smaller holes

Don't worry if they are not exactly perfect holes because you are going to cover them with sheet music or scrap paper

Now I mod podged around all of the pages and the back cover and used the old brick trick and let it dry

If you have a great looking book you could leave the book jacket on, but since mine was an old math book I pulled it off. Then brought out my stamps and walnut ink and mod podged on a new top page, all of the details are on my post altering books

I think I'll do another one with a Christmas Theme

I put lace around the candles and tied a cord around the book

I know you will come up with great ways to alter this simple project and make it your own....I'm just the idea thrower!

Happy Creating!

Carol

Linking with:
Free pretty things for you
Ivy and Elephants
Sew Much Ado
Savvy Southern Style
Between Naps on The Porch

The Yellow Box & Giving Thanks

2011-11-22T10:27:00.003-05:00

This is a World War two ammunitions box that needed a little love

I started with a bright yellow box

When I sanded it I found blue paint under the yellow

I darkened it up a little with some brown gel stain

And added a water slide decal with a graphics from the Graphics Fairy. I love decals because you can see the wood grain right through them.

I priced it at $25 and put it my booth at Orange Tree Antiques

If you are an Orlando local, check out the Thanksgiving sale this weekend. I will have 25% off in my booth

You're the best, you have enriched my life and I am so happy to be a member of this diverse and talented community. Thank you for your comments and continued support.

Happy Creating!

Carol

Joining
Graphics Fairy
DIY by Design
Savvy Southern Style

How To Make a Hat Stand

2011-11-18T09:33:00.009-05:00

This is a fun and easy project!

Turning a styrofoam head into a hat stand

I started with a lamp base and a Styrofoam head used in a store for hat displays or wig holders

I got the styrofoam head from Barr Display, they cost $12.00, this is the same place I got my dress form

I Covered the head with tissue paper from 7 Gypsies

I cut the tissue paper into squares and put the Mod Podge onto the head first and then laid the tissue on. If you try to put the tissue down and the Mod Podge over it the tissue paper will tear

I used some lace trim off an old lamp, ribbon and fan folded sheet music

That I hot glued around the bottom

I topped her off with a matching fascinator

She will be great for displaying hats in my booth. I would love to cover one with a flowered tissue paper, or even pretty flowered napkins...stay tuned!

My Mom thinks she looks gruesome, OK, next time I will cover her in floral paper LOL! I'm just throwing out the idea not the paper

Happy Creating!

Carol

linking with
Someday Crafts
Chic on a shoestring decorating
My Romantic Home
At the Picket Fence