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Monday, May 28, 2012

Paint Stick Stars banner and door decor

If you have been on my blog you have noticed that I like to do things with paint sticks. Well who wouldn't? They are a great tool to create with and they are free!

 One of my most popular posts is my paint stick flag


 So with the summer coming and Memorial Day and July 4th around the corner I decided I wanted to do another decoration to add.

I began with some small paint sticks for this project. Lined up sets of five and began painting them.


Red White and Blue!


Then with some E6000 I started gluing them in the shape of stars.


You can make as many as you like. They can hang anywhere!

I glued two together to hang on my door. One red and one blue.


 Then I gathered a red, white and blue set and strung them on some twine.




I had some old barn wood lying around in my shed. I lined the walls with the boards to get them out of the way. I just leaned them. I added a coffee sack to the window and attached my patriotic star banner!




I just love the way it came out! Lets hear it for FREE decorations!!!! There are plenty of possibilities to use these in other ways.

What are some of your ideas? I would love to hear them!

Celebrate and remember our soldiers past and present!

Happy Memorial Day!
Home Stories A2Z

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Beach Hutch

I have been beach inspired ever since I found out I will be going for two weeks. Everything in my home has turned to "Beach"! I am painting with blues and whites and I am using more rope and shells.

I can just smell the ocean and all its therapeutic powers! AHHHHH!

The new piece has a primitive vibe to it. Very dark wood! Although some people like that, I felt in order for it to sell I would have to recreate it to be more bright and fresh.

There are two pieces. The hutch or shelf that hangs on the wall and the table. It would look great in an entry. It is just the right size. There are so many possibilities for this!


There are scalloped detailing around the outline of the furniture. The pulls are a shiny black.


I started asking myself why I bought this thing! I had never seen anything like it so I thought it would be something different to work with. The wood color just brought me down! It stayed around here for way to long! I painted it white and hated it! Then I just let it sit till I got "that feeling" to revamp it!



I started with the pulls....I got rid of the old ones! You know me! This time I made my own with jute. I braided the jute and made handles for the top small drawer. The bottom on I used jute pulls from Hobby Lobby.

I painted blue stripes where it was obvious for them to be and sanded a lot of it off.
I glued a starfish to the top hutch with E6000. Then I added some beachy items to the shelves.


Are you starting to get the feel of it?

This is the bottom


Check out the difference! I don't usually like putting two pulls together, but I think it works ok here.

This is the top



Again just look at the before! See the edges showing up now. Would you have thought "beach" looking at the before pictures? I know I am weird! I just get these feelings.....

The Before


The After











The top part should be hanging on the wall but since it is going to the store to sell, I didn't want to put holes in my walls. You get the picture, right?

Tell me what you think by leaving a comment! 
I love to hear your opinions!


Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Last Bird and a winner

Do you ever find a bargain on an item that you love but there are just a couple left?

If you have been with me awhile you know my obsession with drawer pulls. I buy them when they are on sale and always look for different ones. The one below has to rank up there with my favorite of all time!


The problem,,,,they were on clearance and there were only two of them. TWO!! I could have bought ten! Would ten have been enough? I don't know! But know I only have two.

I think they are adorable. You may remember seeing it on my Nesting Bird table that quickly sold because this little guy was the perfect fit for it!

Well with only one left, I had to find another perfect spot!


In enters this table. Notice I almost forget to take the before picture! LOL! See that knob?
B-o-r-i-n-g!

I stuck with the duck egg color I used with the other table because it went so well.


I can see little bird towels hanging off the side of this. Can't you?


I will be selling this soon! It is a sweet table but that little bird took it to the next level!

I will miss you little Bird! 
Maybe I will find something like you again in the next clearance bin!

The winner of the 100 postcards from PrintRunner is:


Congratulations! Please email me me soon!

Thanks for Following! 
Please leave comments! I enjoy reading them!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Graduation Gift

First I would like to thank Sandy again from Sandy's Creations for the giveaway. I received it and I am enjoying it so much.

My printing giveaway is still going on. Low numbers means easier chance to win so be sure to visit and sign up!  
Hurry it ends on May 17th!!!

This past weekend my Goddaughter graduated high school. It always amazes me how time just flies!
These special events make you realize just how quick things change. My sister did a great job getting her through high school as a single parent till just recently. There are always challenges with our children and I am glad that our family has strong faith to see us through. Tears were shed and smiles beamed from being so proud of her accomplishments.

My sister decided to order a sign from me. It fit her humor! She thought her daughter would love it!



Isn't it the perfect college gift from a mom?! It can stand in her dorm for her to look at as a reminder! Believe me they need it!! So appropriate!


I think I should put this in the Etsy shop soon! LOL

Enjoy Your Day!!



Monday, May 14, 2012

Red Cross Box

Another busy weekend with the graduation of my niece and Mother's Day. I did manage to do a little project.

Little treasures seem to always be the best when you can convert them into another treasure. I didn't have to manipulate this much. Just a little paint did the trick. I thought it was a coll find.

A wooden box with the word Armour.

Armour is protective gear also spelled armor. So I am assuming this is an old box that stored some protective gear maybe in war or maybe not. I wanted to change it up without messing with the character of the box.






I knew the words would stay but I thought it needed a little something. So the story I came up with in my mind was that during a battle this little wooden box held medical supplies for the wounded since there was no other storage to use. ( I know I have a weird imagination)

With a little dry brush on the sides with no words and something to make people aware of the importance of the box, it was transformed


I sanded over it to look more worn. I like the simplicity of it.


I think it would make a great conversational piece on a table or floor. The best thing is that it is storage!

Did you get any treasures this weekend?

Thursday, May 10, 2012

NO Sew Drapery Cornices

Do you ever notice that when spring and summer comes around, we are all ready to refresh our homes?

Even colors need to be changed to change the mood we are feeling.

 I decided that I wanted to change the colors of my bedroom to a more spring/summer look. Although I show a lot of vintage inspired furniture around here, my bedroom is a more European/contemporary feel. I like mixing things and I appreciate all styles.

 My bedroom walls are beige and there is a lot of black in the furniture and fabrics I chose. The winter color I use is red. Now I want a blue! So I will be adding blue accents but keeping my drapes neutral.

For now! This is a quick easy solution! No sew!! My type of project. This is how they turned out!
Continue to see how it is done!




Monday, May 7, 2012

Mother's Day Nosegay/Wedding bouquet

Sometimes things are with seeing again. Last year I posted my Mother's Day Nosegay. It can also be used as a wedding bouquet. Since it is that time of year, I thought it would be nice to see it again.

One thing I love to do is inspire others and I love all of the comments I get telling me that they are going to try something I made! I also love when someone wants to buy one of my pieces. I work really hard on trying to be creative and think outside the box. I want my readers and followers to come here for something different.

This project can be done for lots of occasions. What a wonderful gift to receive!

Supplies that are needed:

Several pieces of jewelry pins earrings flower like shapes in complimenting tones and colors
Glue gun and glue stick
Green Gerber Daisy
Mod Podge
floral wire
floral tape
2 in ribbon any color
1 in ribbon to wrap stem for nosegay
vase for flower

Gathered some of  jewelry like pins, earrings necklaces, even barrettes that look like flowers and have gems in common.



These can be picked up at sales for very little money if you don't have any to use. I like looking for special pieces to put in the flower that are sentimental.



Start with a Gerber daisy. This acts as a filler behind the pins. It also helps to give it strength.


Paint Mod Podge to the back to stiffen petals a little.


Use 2" ribbon in any color you prefer. Ruffle and glue with hot glue around the daisy.




When dry turn the flower right side up. Gather jewelry and begin to wrap with wire.






Use floral wire to wrap securely. All objects wrap differently. Do what works best leaving enough wire to poke through the flower petals.

Each pick will be put through petals in a circle to fill up. Don't worry about gaps we will get to that when we are done.


Start with the outside pins and work your way in. Hot glue the one in the center.



Wrap the wires and stem with floral tape. Cut the stem to desired length. Fill gaps with loose pearls or press on pearls.




It is ok to have the petals showing through. they look like leaves. When the flower is done stick it in a vase.







I added a dragonfly pin to the top of this one.

Turn this into a nosegay for a dresser or vanity by adding a small strand of white beads for trim around base of pins.


Wrap the green stem with 1 inch satin ribbon and tie with a bow. Add another piece of broken jewelry to the center of the bow to finish it off.

Bend the top to lay nice on the dresser.


I made this one for Mother's Day! This can be easily used for a wedding too. This is a beautiful gift, so start saving your jewelry!

Hope you enjoyed learning how to make this unique gift.


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