Wreath for my Front Door... Plus....

It's no secret that I am a little "different" sometimes.. Sometimes I just dont want to be like everyone else.. And that's where the vision for my front door wreath started.. With my being different and having a feather obsession..

I drew ideas out over and over and changed my mind so many times that it makes me dizzy just thinking about it. But when I finally took a look at what I had and loved it all took shape..


Then I went looking for something to hang it on.. I KNEW I wanted an iron piece, even if I had to make something.. I got lucky! I found this over-the-door iron wreath holder at Hobby Lobby for $14.99 PLUS half off.. Pretty good for $7.50.. After I got the wreath holder it just all came together.. So different and SO me!



First, I gathered all my materials..

Black spray paint (gloss)
Silver spray glitter
Monogram E (metal one)
Red Spray paint (gloss)
Black ostrich feathers (I used two large ones)
Red ribbon
2 antique silver buttons
Silver damask-like christmas ornament (I chose one with a crystal on the end)
AND Hot glue gun and gluesticks


First I spray painted my wreath black and my monogram "E" red... After the wreath dried I sprayed it with the silver glitter.. After everything was dry I went to work assembling and I plugged in my glue gun.

First I tied my two feathers together with a bit of bow wire (the soft kind used in bowdabras), but anything will do, even a rubber band because it will be covered. Then I tied my bow and slipped the feathers into it, making sure the bow wire was covered..

THEN I took a look at my "E". It had two holes drilled in the side for wiring but I didnt need them so I used antiqued silver buttons to cover the holes and add interest. I hot glued the buttons to the "E" then glued the "E" to the enter of the wreath.. Then I glued my feathers and bow on.. Once everything was secure I took my ornament and looped it over the feathers so it would dangle and could be used again later if I should choose to. I then glued a hanger to the back and once it was all dry I hung it on the door.. viola!~ Im really happy with how it turned out.. :)







And while I was wreath-making I ended up making one for my mother.. I had previously gathered up flowers that matched an arrangement she had done in her house, So I put them all together and made a wreath for her. I took it to her yesterday and she loved it!



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Newest Treasures...

I am completely behind on posting my newest treasures.. I've got quite a few new things to show.. I found some really cute things at the thrift stores, ROSS, AND on 90% off clearance at Hobby Lobby.

I got a bag of shower curtain rings for my bathroom from Providence Ministries for $1.99.. They are gold, but that works with my bathroom scheme.. And they are fancy enough too! I hadnt found any that I liked and just ran into these while killing time before work one day.. I think they will work perfectly with my new burgundy shower curtain. The second image was lightened so you could see the details.




I LOVE these three bottles! I'm not quite sure what they're for but they look vintage.. I got them from the antique auction for $7.00.. The pics do not do them justice..





I found this pitcher at ROSS for $4.99 I think. It had a damask symbol on the front AND bling!




And the last two things I got at the HobbyLobby clearance.. 90% off!!!!!!! The key with it's crown top will find its perfect home over the windows in my kitchen.. It cost me $2.50.. And the damask ball topiary was a steal!!! It was broken BUT it broke clean.. So with a little super glue and some black touchup paint, it looks fabulous..You cant even tell that it was broken! And for $2.50 it will be great in my diningroom or kitchen!







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Ballard Inspired this time...

I love iron pieces.. When I saw the monogrammed iron over the door piece from Ballard designs, I knew I wanted one.. The price tag? 129.99 for the small and 199.99 for the large.. I don't know about you, but there's no way I'd pay that. Not when I can make my own..

Admittedly, mine doesnt look as good, but it's more personal because I made it and it's in my silver color instead of the bronze/gold. (I intend to try again with a different iron piece next time)

I wanted to put mine outside initially but changed my mind.. As I was looking around my house for a door to put it over, I was having a bit of difficulty. Most of my doorways in my house are arched, with little room left above them.. That's when it hit me that I could add it to my "HOME" and coat rack wall.. I already had that awesome distressed looking HOME sign from Pier1 (I paid 19.99 on clearance but it was worth it) on that wall, and under that I had a wall mounted coat rack that was in the shape of an iron key that I got from Hobby Lobby for $7.50. But I felt like it was missing something..Now, I love it!!!!


Here's Ballards:



And here's Mine:






I started out with just a plain metal piece from Hobby Lobby.. I got mine when they were having half off metalware so it was $7.50.. I got the wood oval at the dollar tree, and the "E" was about $1.50 at Hobby Lobby.. I had the paint and the Epoxy on hand.

First I painted my pieces.. the iron piece was about an espresso color. I basically just dry brushed more black acrylic paint onto it.. The painted my oval piece black.. For my E I wanted it to be a bit different.. I first painted the E with silver acrylic paint, then immediately followed with black, so that my black wasnt a "hard" vibrant black. Then once that dried I dry brushed the silver over the black.. I finished it off with just a few hints of red dry brushed on (they're very faint and dont even show up in the pic). Then I sealed my pieces with spray sealant and then glued my pieces together using epoxy.. Easy as pie!




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More Imitations.. Rococo Noir and Pottery Barn again..

Even though my arm hurts still, I have been doing some crafting.. I just get too bored at home, awake all night on my days off, to NOT do some crafting.. So I started with some things that Ive been wanting to get done..

For a long while now, a couple years at least, I have LOVED these Rococo Noir by Rosanna candlestick holders..





I got the matching large cake stand two Halloween ago and have loved the collection ever since.. But the candlestick holders cost about $50 a pair so I opted to look for a similar style and make my own. I found some in the Hobby Lobby Clearance for about $3.50 each that had a VERY similar shape and appearance. They just needed a little paint!!

here's what they looked like before.. a kind of bronzey color...




And here they are with a fresh coat of glossy black (my fave ahhh..).. I think they look really good.






Then I saw these Pottery barn mirrors and, even though I dont care much for white, I liked the style.



I figured Id give it a try with some $2.99 IKEA mirrors..




I used red mirrors and did the painting in black..

The mirrors were already red so I took some plain ivory soap and in the spots where I wanted the peeling paint I wiped the soap on the mirror. Then I painted black over all the mirror. Once it was dry I took fine grit sandpaper and sanded the areas where Id put the soap. Then I sealed it with spray sealant.

They turned out ok but Im not sure if I like them or not.




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Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

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My Version of Pottery Barn's Bowl Mirrors....

I think we all see many things on the pottery barn site or in the catalog that we love.. And it is no secret that I love mirrors.. I was browsing the PB catalog and I saw the bowl mirrors and I KNEW I had to make my own! They were lovely but they were also about $180 for 3 small ones.. No way jose.. I love them but I know I can make them just as good for cheap..

I started my search, looking High and Low at as many thrift stores as I could find.. Before I started looking for the bowls I could find them anywhere, but after I wanted some they were nowhere to be found. I finally ran up on some in a thrift store in Rome, GA for cheap... Then I found 3 more small pillar holders that were also nice and thought Id add those to the mix to make mine a bit different.

Here's the ones from Pottery barn:






And here's my version..


The ones on the left are made from light brown, deep, wooden bowls.




The ones on the right are made from Bill Blass Pillar Holders. They were originally gold. They have this really cute little almost-hobnail decor around the edges. I originally got them to go somewhere else but decided they looked good with the other mirrors and added a little variety.



I started off by giving them a coat of primer. Then I painted them all matte black and sealed them with spray gloss. Once everything was dry I epoxed the mirrors into the bottoms and let them set over night. I added hooks to the back with super glue so I could hang them on the wall. I think they turned out great!

I ended up paying 3.00 for the big bowl, 50 cents each for the small two, 99 cents each for the 3 pillar holders, around 50 cents each for the strong hooks on the back, the black paint and epoxy I had on hand. I got the craft mirrors on sale for half off at Hobby Lobby so the large one was about $1.88, about $2.98 for 2 packs of the non-beveled small ones, and about $1.75 for the pack of 2 small beveled. So for a total of around $17 I got 6 nice, pottery barn style mirrors for the wall just as you come into my house. I think they certainly make a good statement!!!


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Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home


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