Shabby Chic Stamped Candle How-To and An Announcement (or two)

August 31, 2011

Hello friends, I can't believe it's Wednesday already. Today I have an elegant shabby chic DIY project that I'm delighted to share with you ~ stamped candles!   

But first I must give credit where credit is due.  I initially saw this project on a blog called The Polka Dot Closet.  Carol is amazing with her flea market finds and thrift store re-dos.  You have to go and visit her. (Tell her I sent you!)  Thanks for the inspiration, Carol!  As soon as I read about them, and how e-a-s-y they were to make, I knew I had to make lots some!  So here we go!

MATERIALS
plain, light colored candle (for maximum contrast with your stamped graphic)

plain white tissue paper (like for putting in gift bags)

rubber or acrylic stamps of your choice

ink pad

wax paper

hair dryer

sisal, twine or jute, ribbon

decorative elements like charms, etc.


Here's a peek at what I used. 



 Okay, are you ready for this?  Stamp your stamp(s) onto the tissue paper.  Cut out each image, all the while staying close to the image so as not to leave a lot of excess white paper around the outside.  Position the image on the candle where you want it to go.  Wrap over the image and the entire candle with a sheet of wax paper, wax side down.  Make sure your sheet of wax paper is long enough to go all the way around the candle and then some, so that you'll have extra paper to hold onto at the back of the candle while you're heating the image on the front of the candle.

I put my hair dryer on high heat and I'd say it took no longer than 5 minutes for each image to fully bond onto the candle.  You can pull the wax paper back gently to check on the adhesion progress.  (I recommend this, since if you overheat it, the candle wax will begin to melt!)  I'd also say not to try drying more than one image at a time.  Once it appears done, gently peel off the wax paper.  And voila! 


 You can see I embellished the candle even more by tying some sisal around it with a vintage crucifix.  You could let your imagination run wild here. Some people actually paste their tissue paper onto 8 1/2'' by 11" card stock, run it through their printer, and print their graphic directly off of the computer!  I'll have to try that next.  I just keep thinking what great gifts these babies would make......Christmas, birthdays, teacher gifts.  The possibilities are endless!  I do hope you like them. 

AND NOW FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENTS!
 I'm on Facebook, people!  (I know, I know, hell must have frozen over.)  I'm thinking that since I broke down and FINALLY joined the rest of the world, the least you can do is drop by my Facebook page and "LIKE" me!  Pretty please?  I mean, a girl's gotta start somewhere!  And I'm thinking once I get a few "Likes" I'll announce another GIVEAWAY!  Just click "Like" on my Facebook button in my right sidebar, right underneath my Google Friend Connect gadget.  Who knows, I may end up actually having something interesting to say over there....


Finally, don't forget to join in on Tuesday's Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva Party going on here. I could use some more expert thrifters!  Come out, come out, wherever you are and SHOW US YOUR JUNK! (And I say that with all the love in the world, really.)  By the way, where did you think I got those awesome just right patina'd (not a word but I'm using it anyway) candle holders?  Bingo.


xoxo


I'll be linking up here:


Club G.W. Party No. 10 and Last Week's Features

August 29, 2011

Well hello again friends!  I can't believe another week has gone by already since our last Club G.W. Party.  It seems that things tend to get a bit more hectic as we send the kids back to school.  Next thing you know Fall will be here!  (Yippee, yes, it's my absolute favorite season!)


I can't wait to see all your fabulous finds and thrifty re-dos, but first I'd like to thank each one of you who joined in the fun last week. You, your finds, AND your projects are all amazing!  If there was ever any question, take a look at these. 

I have to say that this Club G.W. Target duvet find was beyond awesome.  It was a "Why doesn't my Club G.W. ever have anything like this?" find!  Great score, Allison.

Alison @ The Polohouse
Okay, I love this tin cow.  (I love the back of it even more.  Go check it out.)  Not only does my friend Alison find great "Polohouse" decor items ~ she shares her unbelievably fabulous home with us.  And yes, she really does live in a polohouse.  You've gotta see it! 
   
I couldn't do my features without mentioning an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint re-do now, could I?  This one is fabulous.  Check out the colors.  It's a great Craigslist transformation!

Well, ladies, go on and grab yourself a "Charm Bracelet Diva Featured Me!" button from my top right sidebar.  Then get right back in the saddle and join in on Party No. 10!  Oh, and here's a lot of few teeny, tiny party rules:

Link up your thrifty finds, and your thrifty find re-dos.

Please link back to your post and not to your blog's main URL.

Please mention the party somewhere in your post or place the party button on your sidebar.  That way others can find out where the party is and join in!

I'd love for you to become a follower so you don't miss the next party!

And be sure to visit the other party guests!  (It's the right thing to do, y'all!)

Link away!
xoxo




Don't Forget, It's $20.00 Off And The Winner Is.......

August 27, 2011

I want to thank all of you who entered the My Memories Digital Software giveaway. 

I'll admit that I arrived pretty late to the digital scrapbooking party myself.  But after using their software, I can now attest to how easy it is to create beautiful and lasting scrapbook pages you and your family will cherish for years to come.  And the lucky winner is:

Ruby Taylor! 

Ruby said, "Love the Welcome to the Zoo paper pack...colors are so versatile for so many projects!"

Congratulations, Ruby!

And don't forget, you can all still go to My Memories Suite and use coupon code STMMMS51744 for a $10 discount off the purchase of My Memories Suite Scrapbook software AND a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store ~ a $20 value!  Why wait?

Happy Weekend everyone!

xoxo


Porcelain Lady Gets a Face Lift a la Pottery Barn

August 24, 2011

Well, two of my three chickadees went back to school today.  Always bittersweet, no?  I can't believe it will be September next week......the kids are already planning their Halloween costumes!  How about yours?

Today I want to share with you a Before/After project that I'm on the fence about.  I picked up these two Victorian beauties at Goodwill about a year ago. 




His and Hers.  And they're b-i-g, 15 inches by 14 inches.  From day one my family made it perfectly clear that they thought these two were, and I quote, "Creepy!"  Well, that was actually the kids talking.  Mr. CBD, well, we won't even go there......

I actually got to thinking that perhaps they had a point, but I was determined to do SOMETHING with them.  I just didn't know what.  So they sat.  And they sat.  And they, well, you get the gist.  Finally I got the itch to actually do something with them.  And I had a little inspiration in my archives from good old Pottery Barn.


Source: Pottery Barn

I'm not sure what theirs was made of (it's no longer available) but mine is HEAVY.

I started out with a coat of primer, followed by white spray paint.  She looked OK, but nothing special.  So I added a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Paris Grey.  Then I sanded her a bit and voila.









I do think she looks better.  I really like how the gold peeks through here and there.  But I'm just not sure I L-O-V-E her, you know?  Thoughts?  Reactions?  Weigh in and tell me.  I can take it.  Really.  (I need to decide whether I want to go ahead with the boyfriend or not. I'm holding off on painting him for now.)

Have a great week and don't forget to share your Club G.W. finds at Tuesday's Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva here.

Finally, if you haven't entered my giveaway, check it out here!  It ends Friday, so don't wait! 

xoxo

I'll be linking up here:

Tuesday's Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva No. 9 and Some Vintage French Blessings

August 22, 2011

ENTER CLUB G.W. PARTY NO.9 AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY here!

It feels like I haven't shared any Club G.W. (in this case, a.k.a. vintage) jewelry creations lately, so despite the fact that I have many home decor projects/re-dos to share, they're going to have to wait for another day!

This vintage French charm necklace is one of my favorites.  As much as I love unearthing vintage medals at flea markets, I didn't think the odds were too great that I'd find an authentic French one here in the Midwest lol.  So I found a great source in France and just love what they've sent me so far.
This is a medal of the Basilique de Notre Dame de Bonne Garde, Longpont-sur-Orge. One side of the medal has an image of the basilica itself, while on the other side there is a picture of Our Lady of Good Protection (Bonne Garde). The above photo shows the side with Our Lady of Good Protection.
And here is the other side showing an image of the basilica itself.  I love how it's a bit time-worn, like it's been lovingly handled many times.

The antique brass vintage rosary connector and milky white beads were salvaged from a thrift store rosary find made in Lourdes, France (I actually did find this here in the Midwest! Go figure). The non-working vintage watch face is a ladies' Gruen with a 10K R.G.P. bezel and stainless steel back, also a thrift store find.  A beautiful rhinestone ball hangs from it. Finally, there is an ornate silver plated cross to round out the charms, along with smoky glass faceted beads. The chain is antique brass and the clasp is a pewter toggle.

You can find it On Sale in my Etsy store here.

Ok, enough about me. 

It's time for last week's features and the new Tuesday's Club G.W. Party with Charm Bracelet Diva No. 9!

I would love to feature at least three of you awesome Club G-dubbers every week, HOWEVER, with only 12 participants last week, (hello, where are you, ladies?) I've decided to only feature two today.  (Not that all your links weren't feature-worthy!)



If you've been featured, ladies, be sure to grab one of my "Featured" buttons from the top right sidebar!

And now on to today's party.

Link up your thrifty finds, and your thrifty find re-dos.

Please link back to your post and not to your blog's main URL.

Please mention the party somewhere in your post or on your sidebar.

I'd love for you to become a follower so you don't miss the next party!

And be sure to visit the other party guests!

Okay, I've clearly said enough.  Link away!



xoxo




French Script Lampshade Revamp

August 20, 2011

After
I finally took the plunge and revamped a Club G.W. lampshade.  It ended up being a bit of a project, but definitely worth it, so I thought I'd share it with you.


Materials
basic lampshade (I used drum shaped)
fabric of your choice
spray adhesive
fabric glue
large sheet of craft paper 
sharp scissors
pins
optional: glue gun

BEFORE:




Okay, so we start off with my $4.00 Club G.W. drum lampshade.  You expected anything less?  {In case you're not familiar with "Club G.W." it stands for Club Goodwill.}  I bought it with the express intent to revamp it, but once I got it home I didn't think it was that bad.....the green was a bit eeccch, but the paisley pattern, well, I liked it.  But the show must go on, so I picked up some French script fabric at JoAnn's for 50% off ~ score!  I used Waverly's "Pen Pal", 100% cotton. 


Once you've got the lampshade and the fabric you'll need to test the two together.   By that I mean you need to place the new fabric over the shade and turn on the lamp.  Can you see the light?  Is it dark or bright?  (No one seems to mention this on their tutorials.)  Mine was dark! Uh-oh.  Sooooo....I proceeded to X-acto knife that silk lining right outta there, hoping it would make the light shine through a bit brighter.  It did.  Of course I saved the lining for something else!



To trace the shade onto the paper you roll the shade across the paper while tracing it, at both the top and bottom edges, with a pencil.  I allowed the paper to actually roll along with the shade, and stopped when the shade was completely covered by the paper.  Then I marked that point on the paper as the finish point.





Now you flatten out the paper, extend both the top and bottom lines by one and a half inches each and draw a straight line between them.  Cut out your pattern and pin it to the fabric. 


When cutting the fabric, make sure to overcut the pattern by one inch all the way around so that you'll be able to create creased, finished edges on both the top and bottom of the shade.



I then used the spray adhesive a bit at a time, meaning I only sprayed a bit of the inside of the fabric at a time.  Then I carefully placed the fabric against the shade and rolled it along, spraying as I went.  
Once the shade is fully covered, fold over the final edge of the overlapping fabric to give it a finished look and then glue it down with a glue gun.  Try to make sure it overlaps a bit so that if the fabric shrinks after it dries you'll still have the shade fully covered.  Also, you'll need to fold over and glue down the excess fabric on both the top and bottom edges.  

To recap.

BEFORE:

AFTER:


For my first lampshade re-do I'm pretty happy with it. 

  I know you'll find your very own thrift store lamp shade to revamp (if it isn't already in your garage lol).  And when you do, be sure to link it up with Tuesday's Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva.  I'd LOVE to see it!

xoxo

P.S. Be sure to enter my giveaway here!

I'll be linking up here:

The French Cupboard
Common Ground

My Memories Suite Software Giveaway and Coupon Code!

August 18, 2011




Click to enlarge
{Scrapbook layout page provided by My Memories Suite scrapbook software. 
Pictures provided by Better Homes and Gardens and HGTV.}

Are any of you out there closet scrappers?  It's finally time for ME to come clean on this one!  Despite all my displays of craftiness on this blog I've somehow neglected to mention that I' m also a scrapbooker.  Up until now my thoughts have been very entrenched in the notion that it has to be the "traditional" (ahem, paper) scrapbooking only, versus {audible gasp} digital scrapbooking.  Well, I think those days are over.

When my friends over at My Memories asked if I'd like to try their My Memories Suite 2.0 , I was a bit leery.  But I said yes, thinking this was just the nudge I needed to enter the world of digital scrapbooking. And I was right.  I've neglected scrapbooking for quite a while since I started designing vintage jewelry (not to mention practically moving into any and all Goodwill Stores within a 15 mile radius of my home!).  But if I had had this software sooner I'd like to think I would have kept up with at least SOME of those piles of photos that are STILL screaming to be put into albums.

Listen carefully cause here's my public service announcement:
My Memories sells award-winning digital scrapbooking software that is extremely easy to use. My Memories Suite helps anyone create digital scrapbooks, even cards, calendars and more, with enhancements like music, narration, video and Internet.  I found it to be pretty user-friendly.  And My Memories Suite is rated #1 by amazon and TopTen Reviews for digital scrapbooking software.

It's a $40.00 value up for grabs! 

HOW TO ENTER?

(1 entry each)

1. (Mandatory) Visit My Memories and choose your favorite digital paper pack.  Come back and comment on it.


2. Become a Charm Bracelet Diva Follower with Google Friends Connect on my right sidebar and leave a comment letting me know you did (or let me know that you're already a Follower).


3. Follow My Memories blog.


4. Like My Memories on Facebook.


5.  Follow My Memories on Twitter.

Wow, there's so many chances to win!  So wake the kids and call the neighbors!  Unless, of course, you're one of those who just can't wait.  You can just go to My Memories Suite and use coupon code STMMMS51744 for a $10 discount off the purchase of My Memories Suite Scrapbook software AND a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store ~ a $20 value! 

The Giveaway will remain open for one week, until midnight CST Friday, August 26th, after which Random Number Generator will choose the winner.                 

Good Luck!

Note:  My Memories provided me with their software free of charge, but all of the above-stated opinions are my own.





Club G.W. Party and My Guest Post Today Over At The Answer is Chocolate

August 16, 2011


Don't forget that Tuesday's Club G.W. Party with Charm Bracelet Diva is going on right now HERE!

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR THRIFTY FINDS AND RE-DO's!!!!!

Also, I'm guest blogging today over at one of my favorite crafty blogs ~ The Answer is Chocolate So stop on over, check it out and tell Carol I sent you!

(And be sure to stay tuned for a sweet giveaway coming later this week!)

xoxo


Tuesday's Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva No. 8

August 15, 2011

Hello friends, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We were blessed with truly spectacular weather here in Chicago.

  Thanks to all who participated in last week's party. You're all awesome. Really.

I love visiting each and every blog and reading about the thrifty finds and fab project re-dos. There were yard sales, thrift stores, Goodwill (natch), you name it. Just the way I like it! Go on and take a look at some of the great links.

Sylvia @ My Trinkets
Stained Glass Mosaic Table

Typography Thrift Store Tray

Patty @ Patricia Ann
Dining Room Chair Slipcovers

If you've been featured go on and grab a FEATURED button from my top right sidebar!

And now on to today's party.

Link up your  thrifty finds, and your thrifty find re-dos.

Please link back to your post and not to your blog's main URL.

Please mention the party somewhere in your post or on your sidebar.

I'd love for you to become a follower so you don't miss the next party!

And be sure to visit the other party guests!

Okay, I've clearly said enough.  Link away!

xoxo







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