Petite Pastry Tin Magnets, A Fun Repurposing Tutorial

 Today I'm going to share with you a really fun repurposing project! 

Do you ever pick up something, either from the thrift store or maybe a garage sale, and you have no idea what you will do with it?  But you are certain that you will come up with some wonderful idea?  Someday? Well, that's just what happened to me and these cute petite pastry tins!  I found a set at the thrift shop when we still lived in Michigan.  Before we moved out here, I weeded thru a ton of stuff, donating box after box, giving things away, and tossing things that really had no use.  Well, I am so glad that I kept these tins, that were made in Sweden!  I just knew that they were full of crafty potential!  So, the other day, inspiration finally hit!  Former petite pastry tins become the most fun and adorable magnets!  I'll show you how to do it, too, as it's a super fun project!

 Ok, below is all that you will need. Mod Podge, Diamond glaze, glitter (I like Martha Stewart clear), a foam brush, magnets (I got mine from Michael's), and some super glue.  Oh, don't forget the petite pastry tins!

 All of the images that I used came from the Graphics Fairy (thanks, Karen!).  There are so many wonderful images to chose there, the hardest part is deciding which ones you will use for your project:)

I found these cute little German made tins last week at a thrift shop.  I just love this mermaid image!  I cut out a circle to fit the inner portion of the tin.  You will be adding your image to the inside of the tin.

Using your foam brush, apply just a small amount of Mod Podge to the back side of the image, and apply to the tin, smoothing it out with your fingers.  Let dry.  I know, that is the hard part!!

Then, apply Diamond glaze to the image, first outlining the image, then filling it in.  If you have any air bubbles (like you see in the above photo), just gently pop them with a pin.  While the diamond glaze is still wet, sprinkle some of your favorite glitter over it.  Make sure to let it dry on a flat surface.

Don't worry, the image won't look cloudy once it's dry!  Ok, I was a little impatient to wait for it to totally dry when I took the photo below, but trust me, when it is dry it won't look blurry!

Once dry, add your magnet to the back using a few drops of super glue.  I finally learned my lesson with super glue, after semi permanently gluing my fingertips together one too many times!  This time I got smart!  I wore disposable gloves when I glued the magnets!  Viola! No more stuck together fingers! 

Of course I just had to do some Eiffel Tower magnets!  Love this one!

Here are the first mermaid magnets that I made.  I really love the shape of these tins!

I think the magnets below are some of my favorites!  Check out the "wine list" with the cork, isn't it the greatest?  I had so much fun with this project, and I would love to hear from you if you try making your own!

Happy Creating!

I'm linking up with the following inspiring parties!
French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday 

Heirloom Whites

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a great 4th and are all rested up after your (hopefully) long weekend!

It's no secret that I am in love with vintage Syroco.  Today I wanted to share with you several pieces that I discovered recently while out and about.  Of course, they didn't look this dreamy when I found them!  Syroco, a type of resin like plastic, often made from wood pulp, usually can be found in what I like to call "gaudy gold"!  I was so excited to paint them with my favorite shade of cream, that I neglected to take before shots!  Sorry, I will try to be better about that next time! 

 I was doing the happy dance last week when I discovered this giant vintage Syroco key!  I had never been lucky enough to find one, til now, that is!  Keys are so popular right now, so I was beyond thrilled to find this beauty!

 It features a gorgeous very regal looking lion.  I am going to place this key in my Etsy shop.  Below I have it pictured with one of my vintage book bundles (also available in my Etsy shop).  I've been on a book bundle making kick lately, and will share more of them with you in a future post!

 I was also super excited to uncover this gorgeous set of goddess and cherub vintage Syroco hangings.  After painting with Heirloom White, a bit of distressing reveals all of the wonderful details.  I like to refer to it as "instant aging"!

 They are so much more beautiful in person than they are in the photos!  The details are amazing, you would swear that they are made of plaster!

 I am in love with the beautiful flower filled urns at the top!

 I am also always on the prowl for candle sconces, so this pair of vintage Syroco beauties just had to come home with me!

 Ok, by now you know the drill:  Heirloom White and some "instant aging" and voila, a stunning pair of creamy, dreamy sconces!

 Lots of yummy, shabbilicious details here!

 Ok, lest you think all I do in my spare time is buy and paint Syroco, this cute little pair of vintage candle holders are made of wood!  I immediately fell in love with them, even though they were a dark finish when  I discovered them.  Some white paint and distressing and they look and feel so much happier, I think!

 I am loving all of the detail!

 All of these creamy lovelies will be in my Etsy shop, if you are interested!  Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you have a great week!  Now go out and get yourself some creamy, dreamy paint and transform something!!
I'm linking up this post with the following fun parties:  Faded Charm White Wednesday

Tray Chic!

Hello ladies, hope you all are enjoying a nice long holiday weekend!

 The other day I received the most wonderful surprise in the mail!  Ok, I knew that I was getting it, but it was still thrilling to open, it felt like Christmas!  Linda, over at Itsy Bits and Pieces recently had a giveaway of a $50 gift certificate to anything in any of her 3 Etsy shops!  And I won!  Needless to say, I was like a kid in the proverbial candy store as I browsed all of the wonderful treasures in her shops!  As soon as I spotted this gorgeous vintage toile tray, I just knew that it would be perfect in our house!!

 I really love the soft green shades of the tray, and the hand painted flowers are beautiful!

 It is even prettier in person!

 Just look at all of the wonderful hand painted details!  Linda is such a sweetheart, she also included some extra surprises in my package (which I forgot to photograph until I sat down to write this, darn!).  Linda must have e.s.p., as she included some vintage French vocabulary cards, which I just love!  In fact, I was debating on picking  out a whole bunch of them from her shop with the gift certificate!  And she also sent me some wonderful light blue vintage seam binding.  I am addicted to seam binding, so I will have lots of fun creating it!  Thanks so much Linda, for the generous gift!  I will think of you each time I look at your gorgeous tray!!

I imagine that many of you will be spending your long holiday weekend by the shore, soaking up the sun and sand!  Well, can you believe that we spent part of our weekend yesterday playing in the snow?!  Yes, I said snow!

Since we moved out here to Washington State, we've been enjoying taking day trips to discover our new little piece of paradise!  Yesterday we headed north, up near the Canadian border, to Mt. Baker.  It seemed like it took forever to reach the mountain!  We kept driving up, up, and up twisting, winding roads!  Good thing I wasn't driving, as all of those hair pin curves were starting to make me just a bit dizzy!  Or, maybe that was the altitude?!  haha!

We were in awe of just how breathtakingly beautiful it all was!  I never thought that in July I would find myself surrounded by snow covered mountains!  In the above photo, you can see the snow sliding down the hills, there were even big chunks of it that had fallen into the road!

God sure knew what He was doing when He created the earth, wasn't he?
Hope you all have a very fun and safe 4th!

More Inspiration from the Retreat Vintage Market, and a Fun Day Trip

Hello ladies!  Bet you are all gearing up for a fun filled long Fourth of July weekend!  It's not feeling very summery here at the Chateau, with temps in the 60's!  Hopefully the weather man was right in his forecast of a warmer weekend!

Today I wanted to share with you a few more photos of the Retreat Vintage Market.  There were so many wonderful displays and so much talent!  Barn House had an amazing display!!! I just loved these wicker bee skeps.

Poppyseeds, a neat home decor shop in our town, had this gorgeous pair or burlap upholstered chairs.  Love!

And I am totally in love with the vintage French bottle drying rack!  It would be perfect for our house!!!

These photo holders are so neat, and were really popular!  And of course I love keys, I thought these bracelets below were so fun!

Ok, I am also totally in love with vintage silver anything! I thought this was such a fun display in the vintage suitcase!

These little vintage jello molds, repurposed into photo holders (below) are such a terrific idea, don't you think?!

The day after the show, hubby and I took a much needed break and took a road trip exploring our new little slice of the world!  When we first moved out here this spring, I had no idea that Washington State was not only so diverse, but so beautiful!  The bridge below is called "Deception Pass", and crosses over to Whidbey Island.  The bridge is just amazing!

Of course these photos don't do it justice!  There are lots of islands here, rocky shoreline, and  huge pine trees.  It truly is an amazing state!

We walked this beach (below), which was very popular the day we were there!

On the way back, we were able to walk across the bridge, as there is a pedestrian path on either side. This was the view when I looked down!  I am not so crazy about heights, either! 

If you look very closely in the photo below, there is a huge bald eagle perched on a tree branch!  I guess he was feeling a bit camera shy, as he wouldn't turn and look our way!  We see bald eagles nearly every day!  They are incredible!

And here are a few more views from beneath the bridge.

There are so many more places on our list that we want to visit out here.  The San Juan Islands aren't far from here, so they are a must see. We also want to get to the rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula, and visit Mt. Ranier, too!  Sounds like we had better get busy!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Feeling a Little Bit French, and I Won!!!

Bon Jour, Mon Amis!

It's no secret that I love all things French, so today I thought I'd share with you some of my latest creation with a French accent!

I transformed a plain, ordinary vintage wooden plate with the addition of pages from a vintage French text book, as well as a gorgeous fleur de lis image. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that first I painted the plate a nice creamy color.  If in doubt, use cream!!!

 I am calling this my "French lessons plate"!

 I also made one with a crown motif.  Oooh , la, la!

 Because what could be more French than the fleur de lis or crown?

 Some distressing along the edges, and they are full of shabby French goodness!

 I've also been having fun making a series of altered vintage apothecary bottles.  I adore this gorgeous copy of a vintage French label (from the Graphics Fairy, as is the crown and fleur de lis). Isn't it a stunning label?  It's one of my new favorites!

 A generous dusting of glitter (or course!), as well as embellishments of a glittered silk hydrangea blossom, and a key make this bottle tres magnifique!  I have added all of these pieces to my Etsy shop, if you care to take a look!

I was super excited yesterday, as I was thrilled to discover that I won Linda's giveaway over at
Itsy Bits and Pieces!!!  Linda so very generously gave away a $50 gift certificate to any of her Etsy shops!  And I won?!!! Yeah!!! Linda has not one, not two, but three Etsy shops! You can check them out here, here, and here! So, I have been browsing and drooling in all of her shops, and I think I have found just what I would like!  It was so hard to chose, as she has so many gorgeous, wonderful treasures in each of her shops!  Linda, I sure don't know how you manage all three shops, you make it look so effortless!  Thank you, Linda, from the bottom of my heart!  You made my entire week!

I'm linking up with the following parties:  Faded Charm White Wednesday