MaKiNG a TuFtEd HeAdBoArD!!!

Okay so I am beyond super excited!!!!!  With the help of my dad cutting the wood for me, I am making my very own Tufted Headboard.  I will be using it as a photo prop but it will be a pleasure to admire!!!
As a young girl into my teenage years ( when daybeds were the must have), I had the most gorgeous velvet tufted headboard with matching duvet and shams.  It started off red and over time and the sun through my skylight turned fuchsia.  It was handed down to me from my dads cousin Maria and I was a very proud owner!  We even passed it down to another relative.
Anyway I will post pics of my patterns, materials, list of materials and what not!
HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

crayons...what to do with all those broken pieces

I admit to being obsessed with crayons and colored pencils.  My children are hard on their crayons, therefore they often break very easily.
So this project that Ive done with her is basically what kids did back in the 70's and 80's with bottle caps -- except we have made giant rainbow crayons!!!!
This project is not new for me, but this time around I used old plastic measuring cups in the microwave that will now serve as melting cups and molds.  I started doing this after getting disgusted with my overly-used crafting only pot and pouring the hot wax. 

Okay this is really easy and so much fun for the kiddies!  Besides making way cool new crayons, your creating art!  My daughter loved seeing the colors blending together (we even did some painting on thin wood with the melted crayon wax).

Here we go:
1. take the paper off your crayons (i use crayola- i like the texure better)
2. break the pieces in even smaller pieces (the tinier they are the easier they melt)
3. put them in whatever cup or bowl you are using and microwave them with a cover on (do this using small increments of time - think of melting crayons-- 30 seconds, check it do it for another 30) you have to keep checking, Ive had some ready in a minute and some in 40 seconds...you have to eye it.
THIS IS GOING TO BE SCORCHING HOT-- DO NOT LET THE KIDS TOUCH IT, IVE GOTTEN BAD BURNS FROM THIS MYSELF.


Next step is different for those using the measuring cup/mold combo and those using a bowl and then pouring into a mold.

4a. if you have melted th crayons in the measuring cup - let it dry completely!  when its ready flip it over and tap the top until it come out.

4b. if you are pouring it into molds, quickly do so as it melts rather fast.  when its dry pop it out

Wallah!!!  funky beautiful new crayons that your kids can hold in their hands and they aren't easy to break!

 

 

**** I had to post this pic as well...this is what happened to my pot... do you see the flower????

 

De plane! De plane! Stranger Islands Joanie Wolkoff welcomes you to her Oasis!

Stranger Islands . Joanie Wolkoff . www.strangerislands.com

AGE: 31. 

HOMETOWN: Toronto, Canada. 

CURRENTLY LIVES IN: Brooklyn, where she sings and co-writes for Stranger Islands.

How do you describe you own personal style?
SW: A harmonious blend of Dr. Quinn medicine woman and Tracy Lords!!!

LOL!!!! Who inspires you?
SW: A handfull of people that I know really well, and from a distance anyone who appears to be showing the rest of us how it’s done.  I’m inspired by the way Annie Lenox, Christine McVie and Alla Pugacheva sang at the beginning of their recording careers.  And I'm inspired by anyone who makes a living doing what they love!

What is your favorite beauty product?
SW: I/m so glad you asked because when I'm not fantasizing about natural disasters or the apocalypse I'm usually thinking about LIPSTICK & PERFUME!!!!!!!!

So then you must tell us what your faves are!
SW:  My friend Jelena gave me a wonderful rose scented Anna Sui sheer lipstick that I have worn down to a nub.  As the years go by I tend towards less shiny lip products but its good to do yourself up with a little gloss at night!  I’ve decided that I cannot wear powder anymore...looks MORBID on me!!!  I try to be honest and wear as little foundation as possible, but you will rarely see me without MAC  concealer on my East European eye circles!  I use to be loyal to one perfume for years at a time, but I went to the darkside and have a dozen! 

Tell us about your ethnic background
SW: Speaking of Polish Pigmentation I am half Polish/Jewish, a quarter Danish and the rest is a Euro Stew!

A quick little piece of advice from you before we end this babySW: Eyes Peeled, Ears Open!


Thank you to my dearest Joanie for this interview!  She is beautiful, talented and an amazing human being who I am proud to call my friend! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo Love You!

Jeannine

Our Photoshoot! 

Building with bits & pieces!

building with bits & pieces

After 4 years of art college, sculpting was never my forte but I do enjoy gathering scraps and building something!  I'm like a kid with Lego's!  

Even though I constantly frequent antique shops, Home Goods and other home interior shops for great finds, I still find myself making home crafts!  I wanted something for a mantel piece that I created myself.  This what I ended up with:

 

WHAT I USED:

2 octagonal wood trays

an antique glass lamp

6 wooden dowels

twine rope

1/4 " sewing trim

an old finial

metallic paint in bronze and antique gold

Martha Stewart crackle

and my old reliable glue gun! 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!!!

A Crackle a day!

I have been obsessed with Martha Stewart Crackle paint for awhile now...using it is a habit that I cannot seem to kick!  

Project 1:

The first project I want to share is my candlestick makeover!

I found this is my grandmothers house.  They were silver and had crystals hanging but a few were missing so I completely got rid of them all together.

Here are my steps!

I painted a base coat of Martha Stewart Primer. 

When dry I painted one light coat of crackle followed by a thicker coat in which I used a putty knife.

The next morning I used a dab of light metallic bronze paint mixed with varnish.

After it was completely dry I took a blade and scraped off some paint on the edges for a rustic feel.

I decided to replace the crystals that were missing with antique swarovski crystals from a chandelier that my mother once had.  

Here is the end result:

Project 2:

My second project was a little more tedious and I found using the crackle more difficult than usual.
I had these cute pieces from Home Goods that I purchased maybe 10 years ago. I didn't want to abandon these so I left one the way it was and crackled the other.  Here it is!

I used Martha Stewart texture paint as a base coat and then used the putty knife for the crackle.  I put about 3 heavy layers on.

The Trashed Chair Project!

One mans junk is another mans treasure...I highly stand behind this saying!  

A couple of months ago I found this Gem of a chair in the trash by an apartment building in Brooklyn.  The cushion was ripped apart and it was a mess, but nothing a little TLC wouldn't fix! 

I brought this baby home and immediately brought it to the backyard where I performed upholstery surgery! I stripped it completely of all fabric, cushion, nails, springs and tacks.  It took me a good 2 hours to remove everything and bring it down to just the frame.

I purchased gorgeous fabric at $3.99 a yard.  I purchased 3 yards and probably used about 1.5 yards total on this.  I used about 200 upholstery tacks as well.  I made a template for the seat and had it cut out of wood.  

I painted the entire chair with antique black paint, I made sure I got every nook and cranny of the details.  When completely dried, I then used a dry brush and lightly painted with metallic gold paint and then metallic silver on certain spots. I made sure to only paint the outer parts of the wood so that the black would show giving that antique feel.

 I drilled the seat on, added foam cushion which cost about $2.00 and also I added a feather down pillow for comfort. The next day I sewed the material to the cushion for the top backing of the chair.  

This was such an easy and fun project to work on, and the end result made me proud!  In all I spent about $20.00 on this baby! 

I am very pleased with the end result and it is beyond comfortable!  I made an ottoman for it as well from an antique piece my mom had given me years ago.I will post that soon.

So the next time you see a great find in the trash and it's looking a tad dingy, take it, call it yours and re create it!

xoxo

Busy Busy Crafter!

Well this summer has been one of many pleasures...spending quality time with my children, husband, family and friends and spending whatever free time I have crafting!  I have been working on refinishing and reupholstering a charming old antique chair that I grabbed out of the garbage.  I will be posting before and after photos along with instructions on how to do this for under $20.00.
Craft on!
peace, love & paintbrushes!
~neen~

Spring-a-licious

The birds are a-chirpin', the sun is a-shinin'.

What glorious weather is ahead!  I love Spring and so should you!  :)

Mother Nature was very kind this past winter, I just hope that she does not get her revenge with a brutally hot and sticky summer!  I'm hoping for the bestest!

I took these photo's last year at this time at a nearby park.  Enjoy! xoxo

 

~ This was a mother with her little girl, they were priceless together! ~

Unconventional Family Scrabble

~ We love Scrabble ~

*CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

The kids and I decided to play our own game with the scrabble squares.  Actually it was more of a fun "Photo op" of course!

Anywoo getting back to our letter-y fun... 

We grabbed whatever embellishments the kids were already using from our massive scrap collection and went from there.  Here is what me and the kiddo's came up with.

This is a really fun little project to do with the family.  We even had them printed- now they need to be framed! xoxo  * CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE

 

Vintage Goodies

I went to a church sale in the Long Beach area of Long Island this past weekend. 

I decided that I would limit myself to $20.00, which for me is somewhat a challenge!  I pretty much know the value of things from years of experience as a flea market junkie and I always do my research.

  Well, it was a successful shopping experience and I came home with quite a few goodies worth about $500.00.  

My favorite purchase was a huge vintage silver cruet set that has 6 decanter holders.  3 of the Red Bohemian glass decanters were with the cruet.  I love this piece, it is quite stunning!  Now I am on the hunt for matching decanters for the set!  I also found a lovely brand new piece of Kosta Boda Sweden glass that retails for over $100.00 which I scored for $2.00.  Another find was a lovely old wine decanter from the company Bischoff Cherry, probably worth a little bit under $100.00.  Next was a gorgeous vintage pewter lotus compote bowl with a 3 candle candelabra ( I cannot find anything similar on the internet so I have no idea of it's value but I would estimate it to be worth atleast $200.00) .  I collect lotus items so this was a major big deal for me!  The last purchase I made was a lovely milk glass bowl to go with my milk glass collection! 

I realize that I should have photographed my items before I packed them up for storage!
 
The value of the items is not all that important to me, because I never sell any of my finds.  I love the story that antique and vintage items tell.  

Tweenage party!

Okay so this post is a tad late, as my tween-agers birthday blast was in February. 

Turning 11 can be a rough one when in the "birthday party theme" thought process.  Too old for character and too young for a party bus cruising around Manhattan!  We kept it simple and threw a delightful "Rock n Roll" themed party at my mothers house as per her request.

I knew I wanted a candy bar, and I knew that I wanted that to be the main focus of the party.  I used the red, black and white color scheme for the most part.  I collected many jars, used my grandmothers old mason jars and also purchased the cutest jars at Duane Reade (cost was 2/$1).

I designed labels, printed them and stuck them on each jar and purchased colorful candy and treats to fill up all the jars.  

I love crafting so I decided to make 2 big lolipops!  I used foam plates, a sharpie, heavy cardboard (for the sticks) paint, and when they were complete finished them off by wrapping clear cellophane and ribbon.

I made tons of birthday related signs and created a banner for my moms fireplace:

To create the banner I printed out each letter on parchment, I dipped them all in tea for a more rustic look.  After they dried I cut around the borders and then glued them to heavy black stock paper.  I then went ahead and decoupaged them.  When dry I used a hole puncher for the ribbon holes, pulled my thin black satin ribbon through and wallah... you have a creative personalized banner.

~ You just CANNOT ever go wrong with paper lanterns!!!!! ~

Although I am not the best cake designer, I do love to bake and get creative with frosting, fondant and sprinkles!  I didn't use fondant on anything here, but later I will post my younger sons LEGO fondant cake!  I am a cupcake Queen, so I had to make both cupcakes and cake...actually my sister was kind enough to help me and baked everything, I decorated!

                                     ~ whats a party with the mustache? ~

The birthday boy had his cake, and ate it too!

I am so excited that his party was a success!  There were twenty something boys and girls plus about 15 parents.  We ate, drank (fruit punch) and were merry! xo