How to make a diorama ornament DIY 01/06/14

  

Last month I saw a cute idea that someone had posted to their vlog on making personalized diorama Christmas ornaments. 

 I wanted to try it but none of our craft stores had the right type of "open" glass ornaments.

So I hit the thrift stores and found this:

And at 1/2 price it was even better.

I started by taking out the base and removing the figures from it. 

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 Then I found some pictures on my computer of the family I wanted to gift this to.

I printed tiny copies that would fit inside the globe. I also printed a flipped image to glue the images back to back so they'd be two-sided.

I dug around in my Christmas stash and found some mini stuff. I cut out the tiny images, glued them back to back and embellished the house with glitter-glue (for lights), pipe-cleaner (for wreath) and cotton (for snowman.)

But before I glued the house together I sandwiched a bent paperclip in the middle. This is how I attached the house to the base.

This is the back of the house. I did not embellish it.

This is the front. I also covered the edges of the roofline, the grass and the edges of the car with white craft paint to look like snow. I sprinkled glitter on it while the paint was still wet.

I found a scrap of syrofoam and cut it to size with a steak knife.

I glued it to the base with tacky glue and smeared some glue on top for the glitter to stick to.

While I was digging around in my Christmas stash I found some nice embossed dresden foil. I decided to use this as the back side of the ornament.

I put the dresden inside and tried to glue the edges of it to the globe but it was impossible! And it made a mess of glue on the glass. :(  I couldn't think of any other way to secure it, so I just left it kinda loose and inserted the house (back side toward it) up against it as best as I could. You can see the paperclip ends sticking out. 

I pressed the trees and family into the styrofoam where I wanted them and then removed them, put a dab of glue in each hole and replaced the trees and family. Let it dry a bit.

I then carefully squeezed the base back into the globe. I removed the gold hanger loop and used a tweezers through the hole on top to press the "legs" of the paperclip into the styrofoam. This is harder than it looks!

I put the hanger back on and it was ready to hang on the tree! (actually I wrapped it in tissue and put it back in the box for my sister-in-law.)

It was a really fun project but it took about 4 hrs! 

Hanging Lampshade Make-over 09/04/12

During my travels last summer, I happened across this beautiful repurposed hanging lamp. I fell in love with it but not with the $$$ price tag! I thought maybe I could rig up something of my own.

(Sorry, once again, I forgot to take pictures of the process...)  

Well, it's been a year since I considered this project  so I thought it was time to give it a go.  I took an old ripped shade thats supposed to go on a table lamp and ripped off all the material. I recovered the 22" metal frame with a tight t-shirt, removed the sleeves and handsewed it onto the frame.

I sewed some ruffles and glued them on along with some rosettes and "dingle-berries" (that's what we call ball fringe in my family). I tea-dyed and cut-up an old lace curtain and sewed it to the inside so it casts a pretty shadow when lit.

I bought a hanging lamp kit at Lowe's and voila. It was done. The hardest part was deciding where to put the frills. At first I draped the ruffles but it made it look too much like a wedding cake! I'm happier with the "victorian corset" look. It has a pretty hour-glass shape that shows-off the lace.  I still want to add a white chain or scrunchy over the cord.

Yellow at the Cottage 06/29/12

When the temperature gets this hot all you wanna do is sleep!

Or at least try to find a cool spot to rest!

Warhol Pet Painting (kind of a "how-to") 01/19/12

This is my daughter's dog, Pee Wee. Pee Wee was an older dog who was left for months at the kennel because her owner died. My daughter cared for Pee Wee and got to know her while she worked at the kennel. My daughter fell in love with her and took her home. Pee Wee was a great dog with a kissable nose! Sadly, she passed away about a year ago.


This year for Christmas, I painted a Warhol-style picture of Pee Wee for my daughter.

I used the photo above as my starting point. I'm sorry I didn't take pics of the process, otherwise this would have been a very nice "how-to" entry. But in a nutshell:

I enlarged and printed the photo in black and white on the xerox machine in high contrast. Then I traced over the dog's outline from the xeroxed enlargement onto a plain sheet of paper. (I always tape my tracings to the window and the daylight works just like a light box!) On the back side of that paper, I covered each pencil line (back to the window!) with lead by swiping the broadside of the pencil lead over it. A bit of artists charcoal would also work.

Placing the image rightside up on your canvas, trace, again over the lines. This is how I transferred the exact image onto each square of the canvas. I wanted to use carbon paper but who has that anymore?
Then it was just a matter of filling in the spaces with paint, like paint-by-number! It was a very LOW tech project.

Awesome Velvet Headboard! 08/13/11

I've been able to hit a few local thrift stores on a regular basis and saw this headboard a week ago. It was blue and really needed some help so I passed it by. Well, the other night I went to bed thinking about it so I called the next morning to see if it was still there. It was. I walked in, offered half of the asking price, and it was mine. I cleaned it up and it is fabulous!


It was a '70's stripedy blue and beige. I gave it a good scrubbing and sprayed a bleach solution on it. I was hoping to get a silvery shade of french blue grey and it worked perfectly. Above is a part on the back that shows a small portion of the original color.

The Re-InVintage Fair 07/15/11

Last month I was invited to be a part of the 1st ever Re-InVintage Fair in Missouri. It was soooo fun! I had been wanting an avenue in which to sell all my re-furbished finds and this fair just landed in my lap!

My neighbor handed me a flyer and said,"This is right up your alley!" I called the number and Janice was kind enough to invite me to participate! Janice owns "Julia Price's Tea Room", a beautiful victorian home here in town. She had a great vision for an outdoor affair and it was a BIG success!


There were about 12 vendors and Janice hopes to have more as time goes on. Thoughts are that there may be another Fair in the fall when we have our annual Turkey Festival.

Here is a refurbished wicker set that sold before I even got it all out of the truck! I reupholstered it in vintage fabric and trim then added vintage pillows in ticking and velvet.

A fabulous lunch was served inside the tea house! Janice prepares a wonderful fruited chicken salad on fresh croissants.Bon-bons and sweets round out the menu.

My daughter makes these sparkling necklaces out of vintage buttons!

A collection of Pie Birds.

Lots of shabby furniture for sale.

Some of my vintage linens for sale.




Picking out aprons...

We had a really nice weekend even though the temps were 90's!

Oh, Lolli Lolli! 07/07/11

Over the Independence weekend we took a short trip to St. Louis. While stolling the streets of Clayton we happened upon the *SWEETEST* little candy shop!

"Oh Lolli Lolli" is not only a feast for your tastebuds...It is also a feast for your eyes! One whole wall is covered in a rainbow of candy-filled jars!

The turquoise painted walls and pink details were enough to draw me in. I was like...well...a kid in a candy store! Colors and flavors GALORE!

You can buy candy by the pound or by the piece. Soft Gummy Bears in all flavors...the jar of Grape flavored ones was almost empty. Must be a best seller! They sell freshly made chocolates including CUPCAKE-sized Peanut Butter Cups!

A kid with a dollar could walk out with a white paper bag full of goodies. I had the FRESHEST malted milk balls I have ever tasted. They even have iridescent pearlized Sixlets in pastel colors. They get wedding orders for these and I can see why! They are lovely. If you happen to find yourself in Clayton you should really treat yourself to a stop at "Oh, Lolli Lolli", 802 De Mun Ave.