Letter Holder Redo

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

How is your day going?

Today I wanted to share with you my latest creation for my Etsy shop.  Of course in my excitement, I forgot to take a "before" shot!

Just imagine a boring, plain brown mail sorter. 

The kind you wouldn't give a second glance.

Well, once I spotted her, I just knew that she deserved better.............

 I knew right off the bat that I wanted to paint her my favorite shade of creamy white

(big surprise, I know!).

After a bit of distressing, I then decoupaged vintage sheet music to the front of each pocket.

Since I was going for a shabby chic look, what would be more appropriate than roses?

So I headed on over to the Graphics Fairy, and found these lovelies.

Cutting them out by hand was a bit of work, but fun, too!

 I decoupaged a different design to each front, as well as a pretty rose to the very top.

 Again, I sure wish that I hadn't neglected to take a before shot.  She was none too lovely!!

 I think she is so much happier with her makeover.

Just look at those curves:)

 Thanks for stopping by!

Remember, all it takes is a little imagination, and maybe a bit of paint and Mod Podge, to

give something an entirely new look!

Petite Decoupaged Trunk

Bonjour Mes Amis!
Today I thought I'd share with you this petite trunk which I decoupaged with spring time blooms.
When we were in Savannah, I found the wooden trunk at Hobby Lobby, and instantly fell in love with it.  The color was perfect, a nice antiquey aqua.  And I thought the aged brass and leather trim was super cool, too!

When I first purchased it, I really didn't know what I would do with it.  Initially I thought of maybe just adding a tag, but you know me, I love to embellish!  And since I was wanting to work on a crafty project while we were on our motor home trip, I thought this would be the perfect blank canvas.
Then one thing lead to another, and I decided to decoupage it!
I happened to have pretty scrapbook paper that I brought along, so I cut out the lovely floral and butterfly motifs.

Then the fun began!
I didn't want to totally cover the trunk, as I wanted the wonderful antiqued aqua to still be visible.
So I really tried to use a bit of restraint:)

Just looking at these pretty blossoms gives me spring fever!

You can't see it in the photos, but I added a bit of glitter to the butterflies, to give their wings a gossamer appearance.
I didn't want to use regular glitter that would shed all over the place, so I just mixed a small amount of clear iridescent glitter glue (I love "Stickles" brand!) to the Mod Podge.

As a fun little surprise, I even added the decorative paper and a butterfly to the inside!

Here is a shot of the back.

You know how much I love tags, so I just had to add one to the trunk.
I used the same scrapbook paper to fashion my tag, stamped it with a pretty crown, added a tiny rhinestone for a bit of bling ('cause you know how much I love bling!!)
and then stamped the word "bonjour", to give it a bit of a French accentt!
Here is one last look.

Thanks so much for visiting today!  I hope this inspires you to create a little bit of spring in your house!!

Petite French Cupboard Makeover

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Today I wanted to share with you my latest drab to fab transformation, 

this pretty Frenchy cabinet.

It didn't start out this lovely though!

Au contraire!

 This is what she started out life as!

I found her a few weeks ago while out treasure hunting, and was immediately drawn to the great lines she had.  Made of solid wood, she is sturdy and substantial.  At just under 2 feet tall, she weighs in at 7 1/2 pounds! (yes, I really did weigh her!!)

 While the paint job was very well done, the colors were definitely not the look I was going for!

I could hardly wait to get this puppy home and begin the transformation process!

After removing the doors, and giving the entire piece a good cleaning,  I was ready to roll.

Let me tell you, it took many, many coats of the creamy white chalk paint that I used to cover up that awful rusty/burgundy color!

I immediately knew that I wanted to give the cabinet a French accent.  I had debate on weather to add stenciling to the doors, but decided to decoupage this gorgeous and ornate frame graphic that I found over at the Graphics Fairy.

(love!)

I added the French wording to the frames, giving it the look of a sign from a Parisian flower market.

As luck would have it, the frames fit perfectly in the insets on the doors!

As a fun little surprise, I decoupaged copies of vintage French book pages to the inside back of the cabinet.

I love that there is a little shelf inside to display treasures or mementos.

The cupboard also has two cute little drawers down below.  So I just had to add a bit more French flair by stenciling a sweet fleur de lis and swirl motif.

Love the cute little wooden ball feet that the cupboard stands on!

 I must say that this piece is one of my all time favorite makeovers!

 While I would love to keep her, I created the piece for my Etsy shop.

You can take a peek here if you want.

 My imaginary flower market is on rue Ecoles, the same street that our favorite little hotel in Paris is on!

But, here is a real flower shop in Paris, below!  It is right across the rue from our hotel!

 And a few more shots I snapped of some flower markets in Paris.

I am missing it there!

 She was a labor of love, but oh so much fun to create!

 I am really loving that ornate frame graphic, I can't wait to come up with more ideas using it.

 So there you have it, my petite wooden cupboard with a French accent!

Au revior!
Joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

French Roses Decoupaged and Stenciled Box

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Today I wanted to share with you my latest favorite project that I just created, this Frenchy vintage wooden box!

I sure wish I had taken the time to snap a before photo.  I found the box earlier this summer when we were vacationing in northern Michigan.  It was brown, and had an old print decoupaged to the lid.  While at one time it may have been pretty, it was in dire need of a makeover!

While I wasn't immediately sure how I would transform her, I knew that I wanted to do some stenciling and decoupaging as well.

 I began by hand painting the box creamy white, inside and out.

As I was working on it, inspiration struck!

I had a really neat stencil from DecoArt of vintage looking French script, that I was just dying to use. And you know how much I love all things French!

So I used a light tan chalk paint, also by DecoArt, to stencil the script to the lid.

Then to the front, back and sides of the box, I stenciled  gorgeous fleur de lis and swirl motifs, also in the same tan 

I knew that I wanted to decoupage roses to the lid, so off to the Graphics Fairy I went.

 I knew as soon as I spotted this gorgeous vintage pink rose print, that it was just what I was looking for!

So I cut out the roses by hand (a bit tedious!), then decoupaged them to the lid.

 Aren't they stunning?

 I knew that I wanted to decoupage something to the inside of the box, so again I popped over to the Graphics Fairy and looked around til I found this beautiful ornate vintage label.

 I thought the pink, cream and gold tones were perfect!

I then added a Parisian street address to the label for fun

Our very favorite hotel we stay at in Paris is on Rue Ecoles.

 Here is the back side of the box.  I painted right over the metal hinges, then distressed them for a time worn look.

 I must say I love the way the box turned out!

While I would dearly love to keep her, I created her to add to my Etsy shop.

So that just means that I'll be on the hunt again for more boxes to transform, and next time I will be sure to create one for myself!

 Hope that I've inspired you a bit!

Au revoir!

French Lavender Pot

My sister's birthday is at the end of this month, one day after mine.  It's so fun to celebrate together, so I wanted to think of something special to make her as part of her gift.

She loves gardening like I do, so inspiration struck and I created this French pot that I've planted a wonderfully smelling lavender plant in.

I began by painting a large terracotta pot in a pretty shade of light blue.  It's a blend of several different chalk paints, mixed to create just the right shade.  I really love creating my own custom blended colors!

After painting it several coats, I then aged it a bit with a watered down brown craft paint.  I also dry brushed a bit of white craft paint here and there to create a white washed effect.  I was going to take photos of all the colors and products that I used, but I got lazy!

I knew I wanted to add a pretty label to the front, so I headed on over to the Graphics Fairy and found this gorgeous French lavender perfume label.  Isn't it pretty?  I thought it was perfect for my project!

To age the label a bit, I used a bit of Tim Holtz distressing ink, then decoupaged the label to my pot using outdoor Mod Podge.  I then used a clear sealer and went over the entire pot.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and hope that my sister will love it!

 Oh, I almost forgot to show you two little visitors that were hanging out on my picket fence plant stand!  I moved my watering can to set up for my "photo shoot", and these little guys were hiding underneath it!

 I wish you could smell the lavender, it is heavenly!

 I also painted a terracotta saucer to match the pot.  I am bummed though, as I wasn't thinking when I put the label on the pot, that the bottom portion was going to be hidden by the saucer.  Darn, I should have placed it a bit higher on the pot!

 Here's one more close up shot at this oh so pretty label!

 Have a great weekend!

Decoupaged Easter Eggs

 Hopefully you all aren't tired of seeing my glass apothecary jar!  I love changing out the contents with the seasons and holidays, and thought I'd share with you my Easter version!

 I've filled it with a bunch of eggs that I created last year, that I decoupaged and embellished with bits of this and that.  Also included are faux eggs in the prettiest shade of light blueish green, as well as a sweet tiny faux nest complete with a teeny tiny egg and feathers!

 I've tucked moss here and there for filler.  The eggs have been decoupaged with vintage sheet music, and pages from a vintage French book.  I added pretty ribbon in the shades of aqua and blue that I love.

 Aren't these blue paper flowers gorgeous?  I think I picked them up at Michael's.  To some of the eggs, I added pale yellow silk hydrangea blossoms, that I dusted with a bunch of glitter.

 Here's a look from above, with the lid removed.

 It's on our dining table, where we can enjoy it each day.  Come summer, I'll add special sea shells and some sand, for a beachy feel.  But for now, I am loving my eggs!

 With Easter just a few days away, I am reminded of days past when my mom would take my older sister and I to pick out a special outfit for Easter Sunday church services.  It was such a treat, and a big adventure picking out a brand new dress, as well as shoes and a purse to match!  Often we would get new hats and I also remember wearing little white gloves when I was very young.  Wow, things sure have changed, haven't they?

Below is a photo of yours truly, taken at Sunday School, when I was not quite 3 years old.   I'm sorry for the poor picture quality.  Not only is this photograph a little worse for wear, but we don't have a scanner, so I had to take a picture of it.

I look scared to death, don't I? I was painfully shy as a little girl, and into adult hood as well.  I think this must have been taken at Easter, as the date is April.  Notice my little pocket book with the pretty floral embellishment?  I started loving all things embellished at a very early age, I guess:)  I have to laugh at the purse though, wondering what I kept in it?  Candy???!

I was wearing a little pale pink dress, white sweater, and of course shiny black t-strap shoes and white knee socks. So very lady like!  Oh, and a barrette in my hair, too.

If only life could be so simple now...........

 Wishing you and your family a very blessed Easter!