A Few Junky Office Accessories

Earlier this week, I showed you this old crate we made into a desktop organizer.

You can see that project here.

Today I'm going to share the accessories I made to go along with it. 

This little tiered organizer is made from a piece I sawed off an old chair leg (the aqua piece on the very top), part of a table leg (the orange part) and some metal kitchen molds (maybe?) that I picked up at our local thrift store. 

I always like the look of the tiered stands people make out of bundt pans and such. So when I saw these molds, I thought they would work great for a mini version! 

I painted the outside of the molds with Santa Fe Turquoise and used E6000 to adhere the bottom piece to the old table leg Eric had cut to size for me. The top was a little trickier. The spindle was not wide enough in diameter to glue the metal to it. So I made a trip to the hardware and found a rubber washer with the right inside diameter. Then I glued that to the spindle and the metal mold to the rubber washer. 

I then added some lettering...

You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. (Maya Angelou)

It's just printed off the laser jet onto regular paper, cut it and Mod Podged onto the metal. 

I figured a desk needs a pencil holder, right?

So I painted this tin can with Destin Gulf Green, added a pretty brown ribbon with aqua sequins and one of my leftover wire flowers from a previous project. 

This pencil holder looks so cute sitting there in our new pretty desktop organizer!

We also made an easel clipboard out of some leftover barn wood.

I'l be sharing that with you tomorrow so be sure to visit again:)

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Partying at Anything Blue Friday at The Dedicated House

Eggs in a Basket {or two!}

I have seen so many beautiful decoupaged eggs on Pinterest and all the different parties I've been linking up to. Combine that with the beautiful sunshine we had yesterday (although very cold temps), and I've got spring on the brain.
It made me get the egg fever too!

So I got out the plastic eggs from last year's Easter baskets, the Mod Podge and some fabric scraps.

And started gluing away!

I found that it was easy enough to use strips around the middle of the eggs, but much easier to use smaller pieces for the rest of them. They just conformed to the contours better that way. And the biggest problem with decoupaging the eggs was my time constraint and, therefore, sticky fingers! I was trying to get them done before I had to leave the house on Saturday and didn't really have much time for drying. If I do more (and I just might!) I will do the middles and then let that dry before doing the tops and bottoms. My uber-sticky fingers kept wanting to pull the material off the egg. And that's just no good! :)

I chose aqua fabric for my eggs. No big surprise there! I do love aqua after all! To coordinate with the baskets I had already painted, I also used a white fabric with pretty light brown flowers and some orange paint.

I added some twine and a vintage button to one of the orange eggs. If I would have had more time that morning, I would have added the twine and button to the other orange eggs, too. I like how it turned out. I may go back and do just that when I get a chance. :)

I got out some brown paper grass and then stole some aqua and lime green grass from my son's basket (shame on me!) and mixed it all together and added it to these precious little baskets I had painted  the day before. I used Ce Ce Caldwell Cottonwood Sienna on the baskets and then applied a light coat of Johnston Daffodil over that. I simply LOVE how these turned out. 

I'm not usually a big fan of baskets, but these were too cute. They were small and made of wood chip so I purchased them awhile back for 25 cents each at our local thrift store. 

Once I had the baskets painted, I then painted a couple of chipboard embellishments (first in Destin Gulf Green and then in Santa Fe Turquoise). I had bought these at Michael's for only $1 for the whole bag. I think there are about 12 similar pieces in the bag. I sure do love me the dollar section! I painted a vintage button with Johnston Daffodil and attached the shipboard pieces and the button to the baskets with some trusty old gorilla glue. Kind of overkill on the glue, but it was in my reach and I was in a hurry! :)

Hope you enjoyed reading about my eggs in a basket.
Think Spring!
{it's just around the corner!}

Springing into these parties...

Six Days of Spring Party

Countdown to Spring Party at Domestically Speaking

March Madness Party at 4 You with Love

Hop To It Linky Party at Liz Marie Blog

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage, Mop It Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill, Pink Hippo Party at Pinkapotamus, Monday No Rules Blog Hop at A Sorta Fairytale,Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative, Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Making the World Cuter Monday, Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick (first Monday of the month), What's in the Gunny Sack at the Gunny Sack, Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House, Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life, Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin, That DIY Party at DIY Showoff

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons, Transformation Tuesday at The Ironstone Nest, Monday Funday at Creatively Living, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm, The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch, Project Inspired{d}at Cupcakes and Crinoline, You're Gonna Love It at Kathe with an E, Transformed Tuesdays at PJH Designs, Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House, Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts, Primp Your Stuff Wednesday at Primp Junktion, Be Inspired at Elizabeth and Co, Pretty Things Link Party at twelveOeight, Time to Shine at A Diamond in the Stuff, Too Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot Giraffe, The Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking, Creatively Tuesday at The Rustic Pig, Show Me What You Got at Not Just a Housewife, Share It Link Party at The Winthrop Chronicles, Tasteful Tuesday at Naptime Creations, Tutorial Tuesday at Hope Studios, Trash 2 Treasure at Kammy's Korner

Wildly Original Link Party at I Gotta Create, Wow Us Wednesday at Family Home and Life, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, Whimsy Wednesday at Smart School House, What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants, Wednesday Whatsits at White Lights on Wednesday, What We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow Pond, Under $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket Fence, Show and Share at Southern Lovely, Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style, Wow Me Wednesday at Gingersnap Crafts, From Dream to Reality at The DIY Dreamer, Its' a Party! at A Creative Princess, Show Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans, Look What I Made Wednesday at Creations by Kara

Party Time at The 36th Avenue, Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home, Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage, Share Your Cup Party at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Hookin' Up with HOH at House of Hepworths, Talkin' about Thursday at Designed Decor, Live Laugh Linky at Live Laugh Rowe, Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life, The Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush, Made U Look Linky at Made in a Day, Creative Things Thursday at The Vintage Farmhouse, Catch as Catch Can at My Repurposed Life, Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage, Catch a Glimpse Party at A Glimpse Inside, 52 Mantels, Creative Inspirations Linky Party at Embracing Change, Tickled Pink at 504 Main

Simply Creations Link Party at My Simple Homelife, Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed, Inspire Me Please Link Party at Liz Marie Blog, Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage, What Have You Redone at Redoux Interiors, Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home, Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove, Simple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted inThyme, Be Inspired at Common Ground, Faunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo, Show and Tell Friday at Romantic Home, Junkin' Joe Vintage and Thrifty Finds at The Cottage Market, Weekend Wrap-Up Party at Tatertots and Jello

Saturday Show and Tell at Cheerios and Lattes, Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors, A Bouquet of Talent Party at Life on Lakeshore Drive, Strut Your Stuff Party at Six Sisters' Stuff, Show and Tell Saturday at Sassy little Lady, Get Schooled Satuday at Too Much Time on My Hands, Power of Pinterest Party at Fox Hollow Cottage, Your Great Idea Party at Or So She Says, Overflowing with Creativity party at It's Overflowing

The Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming, Sunny Simple Sundays Party at Sunny Simple Life, Sundae Scoop at I Heart Naptime, Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes, Nifty Thrifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things, It's Party Time at Three Mango Seeds, Restyled Sundays at Stylish Once Again

HeartPrints Keychain {for my love}

Buying gifts for a man can sometimes be way-difficult! Making them is sometimes even more of a challenge because, let's face it, I'm a girl and I like pretty things. It's sometimes difficult to not get too carried away with the cutesy and lean more toward the manly. But, I thought I'd give it another try after my

Christmas present

to Eric turned out so well!

I saw this really great pendant made from clay on Pinterest. It was so cool (here's the link to her post), but I knew I wouldn't have a chance to make it to the store for any clay. So, what's a girl to do...?

Get creative, of course! 

I pulled out what I had at home, namely a few washers at different sizes and a tin can lid. I figured I would put my fingerprints on the can lid and then cut a heart around them. What I wasn't sure of, was what to use for the medium to transpose my fingerprints on. 

I tried using fingernail polish painted on the metal, which worked (although it was a little messy for my fingers! lol) until I tried to cut the heart out, at which time it chipped off the tin. Hmmm.... what to try next?

Then I had a lightbulb moment. Chalk paint would work on the tin! So I painted one coat of Aubusson Blue on and then, over that, I used Old White and quickly made the fingerprints. It worked so well, showing off the blue where my prints were. Yay! So I put a coat of wax on the lid, then got the tin snips out and cut a heart around the 2 fingerprints. 

The next thing to do was get out my drill and add a hole in the large washer so I could make this thing into a keychain. To be honest, I wasn't really sure if the bits I had were supposed to be used on metal, but I figured I'd give it a try. And it did indeed work. Another success! :)

I next got out my trusty JB Weld, attaching the 2 washers and the heart together and clamped it for a few hours. Things seemed to be going smashingly! But something was missing. It just didn't seem finished. So I grabbed a bottled cap to see if that would work somehow. Perfect fit for the back of the washer! I painted it with Chalk Paint as well, this time in Coco, and waxed it with dark aging wax. But it still needed something more...

I had though once about using metal stamps on this piece. But, they are really kind of a pain! lol. Instead, I printed out some words on plain paper, cut them out and used Mod Podge to attach them to the bottlecap and again over them to seal it. 

I put a nut between the washer and the bottle cap and used the epoxy to weld those together too. Finally, I added some dark wire through the hole I had drilled and an old spring I had found when scrounging through my box of junk. I bent the wire back into the spring and used a little more JB Weld to hold it. Then I added a ring and it was done. 

I was really happy with the way it turned out. Junky and totally repurposed. A bit manly (but still pretty!). All with a personal, unique-to-me touch. The perfect Valentine for my guy. And he thought so too :)

We're sharing at these great parties...

Monday Funday at Creatively Living

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Creatively Tuesday at The Rustic Pig
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Pretty Things Party at twelveOeight

Cowgirl Up! Party
Your Gonna Love It Linky Party at Kathe With an E
Transformed Tuesdays at PJH Designs
Take A Look Tuesday at Sugarbee Crafts
Be Inspired Linky Party at Elizabeth and Co
It's Party Time at Three Mango Seeds
From Dream to Reality at The DIY Dreamer
Wow Me Wednesday at Ginger Snap Crafts
Whimsy Wednesday at Smart School House
Tasteful Tuesday at Nap Time Creations
What We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow Pond
Show and Share with Southern Lovely
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Wednesday Whatsits at White Lights on Wednesday
Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife
Under $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket Fence
Live Laugh Linky at Live Laugh Rowe
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life
Made U Look Linky at Made In a Day
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage
Hookin Up with HOH at House of Hepworths

Romantic Jewelry Armoire

I sure wish I had taken some before pictures of this jewelry armoire, because it sure was not very pretty to look at, that's for sure! It was painted black and had dark gold scrollwork and stars on it. Don't get me wrong, I love scrolls, but this piece looked liked some bad magic show relic. Not attractive at all. But it was cheap and had good potential, so we bought it!

The first thing I did was lightly sand the whole thing down. From there, I used some antique white homemade chalk paint on the outside, even on the black hinges, and some aqua on the inside of the cabinet and the drawer. I distressed it so the black would show through. I just love the way an old white looks with black showing through! I then added some furniture wax for protection.

For the insert areas of the cupboard doors, I simply took some coordinating scrapbook paper (in a faded aqua with white flowers and just a pop of poppyseed orange), cut it to size and mod podged it on. And it was that simple. A little paint, a little paper, and we turned a pretty-ugly Goodwill find into a romantic jewelry armoire!

Sharing this at these great parties...

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Making the World Cuter Monday

Creative Muster Party at Fluster Buster

The Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking

Why Fight It? Just Let It Snow!

Seems like we've gotten more snow in the past week over in here in West Michigan than we have the entire winter! And this comes after some record warm temps not too long ago. But, after all, we pretty much learn to roll with the punches when it comes to Michigan weather! :)

Sitting here (under a warm blanket of course!), watching the snow fall, it feels like a perfect time to tell you about one of the simple projects we did before the holidays.

This little silver frame seemed like it was just waiting for bling to really  make it shine. I happen to love white glitter, just not the mess it makes as it flakes off onto the floor! lol. That being said, I though I'd give a technique I saw on Pinterest a try...

This frame already had a matte in it when we purchased it. I took some white glitter, mixed it with Mod Podge, then brushed it onto the matte. I was crossing my fingers that this technique would do what it was supposed to: glitterize my little silver frame with a non-flaky coat of sparklies! And it worked. Once mixed with the Mod Podge and dried on the matte, the glitter did not constantly flake off. Hooray!!

More than satisfied with the results of the glitter experiment, I turned my attention to the picture itself. I painted the backer in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ Graphite, then pulled out some rubber stamps. Using my favorite aqua paint, I stamped let it snow onto the backer. The imperfection of the rubber stamps with the paint give it a simple, primitive feel. And I love the aqua color with all that white glitter!

Now, I suppose, I will crawl out from under the blanket and get something accomplished! Too bad, because it's nice and cozy in here! :)