The Rooster Painting

I'm going to say something I've said before....

Ready?

I've been really busy lately.

Custom orders, cleaning house, cleaning more house, feeding hungry kids and husband, and a little bit of my own stuff.

= Busy

That has nothing to do with this post though.

Except to say that I am literally BURSTING with ideas of signs and art to paint.

Bursting.

I just ordered a weeks worth of 36 hour days. I'm not sure when they will get here though.

Until then, here's the newest addition to my collection. As much as I love this one and as much as I would love to keep it... it will be sold. I have to remind myself that it don't make no money hanging on my wall.

At night then I dream of chippy paint, roosters, cows and horses.

During the day those dreams sometimes materialize into something like this.

To tell you the truth, painting on canvas scares me. I have such high respect for the canvas and I am afraid that I will ruin it. This is the first time I have felt like I honored the canvas at all.

Call me crazy.

Lots of people do.

My "Accidental" Ebay Buy

Okay, don't tell me you've never done it too. It wasn't so much an accident as it was not thinking through the whole currency differences. Yup, this little puppy came from the United Kingdom.

Yup, they use a different currency there.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad deal, just more than I normally "on a whim" place a bid.

I love to gaze at and think about how it must have sat on some stogy old aristocrats stoop in years gone by, or perhaps a harried milkman delivered it to a harried mother of three boys...in years gone by...

So anyway, I like my new/old milk basket. I plan on adding some old, miss-matched silverware to it instead of my everyday stuff.
Someday.
 (Yes sister Abby, they say imitation is the highest form of flattery)

Tally-ho,

Check out Shabby Apple's new Inca Trail clothing line and get %10 off when you enter the word TRAIL at checkout!

A Gift For Me From The Vintage Bricoleur

I did something, never expecting payment. For real.

No really, I didn't!

It was something I enjoy doing. Sorta like therapy for me. Anyway, they "repaid" me and I just had to share a few of the things they gave me.

They made me this sweet vintage spoon necklace with my 3 boys names stamped on it.

I can't even say how special this is to me.

Our bedroom has been going through a very slow redo and this pillow was the perfect addition. Terry (one of The Vintage Bricoleur team) handmade this.

She made it personal by adding the initial of our last name and the year we were married.

Perfect.

If any of you happen to live in California then you have the chance to actually meet The Vintage Bricoleurs and maybe even purchase some of their amazing wares.

They travel all over California to sell at different shows with a host of many other amazing sellers.

(Check with their blog regularly to see where they will be next!) 

Plus they have booths in two stores in the Sacramento area.

Be sure to stop by their blog and show them some love.

You are welcome to drool over the stuff you see there as well.

Just know that I already did.

Boys Room - Fishing Time!

I was recently talking to someone about doing a fishing style room for her teenage son. It got me thinking about different ideas that I would incorporate into a room of that style. So...

I would start with the first layer:
1. I came across this headboard photo and thought it would be the perfect piece to anchor the room.
2. There are many ideas for lights, but this one really caught my eye. With its rattan weave, it brings to mind the look of a wicker basket, brimming with lures and fishing string.
3. No room is complete without bedding, and a vintage looking ticking was the first place to start. I wish I had included the many pillow ideas I had too, but lets be realistic, if it is indeed a boys room, simple is best.

After setting the backdrop, it is time to work on the details and let you know what this room is really all about.
4. A vintage fishing net hangs casually.
5. Hurricane lanterns rest peacefully on the dresser.
6. This rustic coat rack will be perfect to hang your hat or fishing creel (photo 7) .
7. Vintage fishing creel
8. No fishing room is complete without an old fishing reel to add a simple but perfect detail to the room.

I would continue adding layers of details without cluttering up the clean  and simple appeal of the room.
A few signs, metal or wood, an old fishing pole or two, some weathered buoys and maybe an old tackle box to add a pop of color and corral all those small treasures.

Sometimes a visual, even if it's not the exact style, is helpful to get me started off on the right foot. The photo below is a great example.It has that lake house look that is a great backdrop for the room I was looking to create in my mind.

Source: abeachcottage.com via Holly Ledingham on Pinterest

Thanks for riding along with me through my basket weave of ideas and inspirations!

Don't forget about my Shabby Apple giveaway!!

Crowing About DecoArt

I'm a bad, bad blogger. But you all already knew that.

A "few" months back (okay it was a year)a dear lady from DecoArt contacted me about using some of their products.
No brainer there. I use a lot of their paint anyway and so I was excited to try out some more of their stuff.

I have a pile of these roosters crowing away in my garage. One brave guy was very willing to let me apply some Primer/Sealer to him. Then some Texture Crackle that aged him just a few years. He also decided to frost his feathers with just a bit of Glaze to give him a more less polished look. (you mix the glaze with your own colors for a custom tint)

He was pretty proud of his final look and ended up selling himself in my Etsy store. (His younger green brother can still be found here)

I have used the Texture Crackle in many different ways and I have a few more in mind... (when I get a moment to spare) It's perfect for making a new piece of wood look aged and weathered. It can also be used kind of like spackling.
For example, I had this pot thingy that I liked but the pattern was no longer something that fit into my decorating scheme.

I used the Texture Crackle to create a spackled look.

So all that to say... Thanks DecoArt! I'm having fun with your products!

(psssstt, want to hear a secret? Come back Monday for a giveaway from Shabby Apple!)

A Tisket A Tasket, A Wall Full of Baskets

Hi, my name is Jillian and I like baskets. No that's not an addiction confession, just a fact. There is no better way in the world to corral anything and everything into nice looking, out of my site ways than to put it in a basket.

However, these baskets are holding nothing but air and I'm liking it!

I've been wanting a change on this wall every since I hastily painted my "EAT" sign and threw it at the wall.

In true "Cheaper" form, I only spent $13 dollars on this transformation.

The large basket was a splurge, but a cheap one, from Hobby Lobby. I found it on clearance for $12 and decided it needed a new home.

The basket on the right did have a handle on it and was a slightly different color, so I cut the handle off and lightly spray painted the whole thing to darken it up.

So that left me with one more basket spot to fill. I often frequent my local $Tree for cheap options for home decor and they didn't fail me here. The last basket on the far left was picked up for a $1 and is happy to be hanging in my home.

I like that the whole ensemble adds a more "earthy" look to the area. Plus I can now sell my "eat" sign to some other lucky person just looking for that perfect touch;-)

Don't forget that you have PLENTY of time to link up your best copy/recreation project. I can't pick my top five if there aren't five to pick from! Go ahead and link 'er up here!


Have a great weekend!

The Foundry

Have you heard of them? I get an email from them every day, and I LOVE thier stuff!! Today's finds are amazing. Drool Look at at some of this stuff.

Pretty cool huh?
You can check out more by signing up today. (That's all you have to do, no promise of your firstborn or anything!)

The Foundry Invitation
Let me know what you find!

It's Okay...

...to window shop.

baby gap

baby gap

baby gap

baby gap

baby gap

old navy

old navy

old navy

I don't know what I'm having, but it will be a totally different time of year than my boys were. It costs so little to look :-)

A snippet here a tibit there....

Did I ever mention that I hate sewing? Mainly I just hate the cutting out, the sewing and the mess it makes. Hmmm, I guess that pretty much covers it all.

I'm sewing anyway, and here is how my machine vomits all over the table and floor when I sew.

Pretty nasty description, but so true. Hopefully I'll have some better results for you all to feast your little peepers on soon.

I also need to show you a little more of how my living room looks with it's new beam of light shining in. It's a glorious thing I tell you. Glorious!

Ahhh, see that light? It's like ice tea on a hot day...

Okay that's all I can show you till I clean it up from my sewing vomit (that is so gross!)

I better get to work again. I have cribs to paint, material to sew, a house to clean, children to feed, a Just Between Friends Sale to go to and much more!

I'll leave you with a much more pleasent thought and image to look at.

YOU CAN STILL ENTER MY CSN STORE GIVEAWAY HERE!

DON't forget to come back tomorrow with my Monthly WE CAN DO IT CHEAPER LINK PARTY!