Thursday, December 8, 2011

December Finds


I haven't posted my finds lately.
It's been busy around here getting ready for Christmas.
We've been doing a bit of painting,
making garlands,
folding and glueing ornaments.

Last weekend, I found some wonderful things
tucked away in the back of a booth
at the antique mall.

There were also a few things that I'd "organised"
and hidden from myself
instead of putting them in my online shop.

I found these letter tiles zipped away in an old plastic bag
Tucked at the back of a booth.





The Old Block House

Today, I took them outside
spread them out on my favorite tree trunk
and made words with them.





The Old Block House

Merry Christmas
Star
Wish
Snow
Joy
Peace
Noel
Love
Faith
What an awesome find!

There were also
Bingo Cards





The Old Block House






The Old Block House

and






The Old Block House

Tucked away, I found some things
that were from my trip to Dubuque, Iowa
a few months ago.





The Old Block House

so much like the one my granny used to have.





The Old Block House

Drawers from an old watchmaker's desk
The desk was beyond repair,
so we salvaged the drawers from it.





The Old Block House
 
 
I've been needing to refill my shop,
but the oh-so-shiny-things of Christmas time have distracted me.
 
So now the shelves have a few more items,
maybe I can squeeze in another project, or two......or three?
 
The Old Block House


Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Free Blocks for a Little Peace & Joy

I'm always on the lookout for free or low cost projects.
I'm always happy to find bits of  leftover wood
and low cost paint.
This project combines the two
for a total cost of under $2 for twelve blocks.

While digging for some old blue jars in storage,
I found bits of wood.

My bf's family had repaired the local bandstand
and these were the pieces that were left when they were finished.

I've been wondering just what to do with them
and had been hoping to make some angels,
but there's nothing in my stash that would make a good angel head
to sit atop the block of wood.

A couple of weeks ago,
while at Home Depot,
I'd purchased sample pots of Martha Stewart paint,
that were marked $1.

The colors are Barn, Cornbread, Sultana(green), and Francesca(black).
After the blocks were painted,
they were sanded with 60 grit to give them
the I've-been-knocked-about-a-bit-too-much look.

Gesso was then applied with letter stamps and a stencil.
(I like to use stencils.)
After the paint dried,
the letters were sanded with 150 grit paper for distressing.
The JOY blocks were washed with brown paint.

To finish things up,
two coats of Minwax Wax Paste was applied to seal in all the goodness.



Who doesn't need a little more Peace & Joy?

Below are a few more of my Christmas ideas
Just click the photo for more details
The Old Block House
The Old Block House

If you'd like to visit my shop,
please click the button below.

The Old Block House 
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