Christmas decorations

Hi, Froggers!
Hey, I KNOW you're all out there because my stats tell me someone's lookin', but I don't have any comments, so if you like something you see, I'd love to hear what you have to say. I've had a few spammers lately, so I changed my settings to moderate comments. I hate when that happens. :(

Here's a sign that I did for a customer. 

Actually, there are two.

He had me make one for his kids and one for his mother, because they have a contest. How cute is that! I love making custom pieces like this. It warms the cockles of my heart, whatever that means.

And now, on to Christmas decorations.

I adore decorating my bannister. When we looked at this house, right away, I noticed the lovely long, tall bannister. It's perfect for decorating.
HubbyDoc loves to garden, so I take the fruits of his efforts and use them in the house. These are giant alliums, sprayed silver. The key to a great garland in my house is lots of texture.

I had lots of fun making glittered ornaments. I can never have enough of them.

I love my glittered hearts. And don't forget- that jewelry that you wanted to throw out? Break it up and hang it up (the small medallion with the bauble below the heart)!

The garland is mostly silver, white, and glass, but I like to add a little color in the form of dried flowers.

Dried peonies add a lavish look.

Here's the upper part. I took aluminum flashing, cut stars with tin snips, and ran them through my embosser.

That's it for now. I'll post pics of my tree(s) the next time.And as always, let me know if you're inspired by anything.
Fondly, Tami

Facebook Giveaway

Hey, Peeps! Today, I have a giveaway on my Howsewears Facebook page, which is the following design in vinyl for your wall, door, cabinet door, etc. Feel free to check it out and "like" it. When I get to 150 likes, I will randomly pick a winner. Yes, this is one of my attempts to increase Facebook traffic, but you get a chance to win!
Fondly, Tami

Vendor show

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted in earnest. I've been crazy busy with preparing for craft shows. It's a whole lot of work, but I love what I'm doing. Here's a sampling:

Here I am at my first show.

A basket of my original vinyl wall word designs. I'll soon be listing on Etsy so stay tuned!

My little trees with glass glittered stars.

My glass glittered ornaments. I love 'em.

And, I'm diggin' the white on white look. I believe this is going to be a new trend.

Stay tuned, Peeps. I'll soon be posting some tips about attending craft shows as a vendor. After my next show, which is tonight! Yikes!

Fondly, Tami

Riding Out Hurricane Sandy

I'm just heartbroken for those on the shore during this terrible storm. Praying that lives are spared. We're riding this out here in SouthEastern PA, specifically Lititz. It's a scary time, but we still have power. We're waiting for the worst of it to be over, which won't be until tomorrow sometime. Please consider praying for our East Coast. Fondly, Tami

Ikea Table Re-furb and a Word about Briwax

So, I didn't know this table was an Ikea table until I had to tighten a bold, and realized I needed the Little Ikea Bold Tightener Thingy, which HubbyDoc so conveniently had in his tool box. After minor adjustments and lots of sanding, I ended up with this:

 (Sorry for the blurriness. The camera had just come out of the AC into the lovely, steamy miasma*)

I'm loving the different drawers on both sides.

This is my attempt at an artistic shot. You know. The "diagonal approach".

Now, there has been a lot of blog activity lately concerning making your own chalk paint vs. buying it, CeCe Caldwell’s vs. Annie Sloan, cost, latex vs. chalk, etc. And, I’ve seen some comments presented in a vituperative* manner…over PAINT. Sheesh!

So, if you disagree with me about what I’m going to say, be nice! I’m not getting paid by anyone to endorse anything. Just sayin’.

I just recently bought some Annie Sloan clear wax, mainly because I wanted to see if the effects would be any different than when I use Briwax.

Final verdict? I didn’t like it any better. I used it on the Queen Anne table that I re-furbed, and it applied just like Briwax and buffed just like Briwax. The only real difference was that the Annie Sloan wax doesn’t have noxious fumes, and the Briwax can get a little stinky.

And, the Briwax is about $9 cheaper per can.

Bottom line? I’m saving my AS wax for when it gets cold outside and I have to wax inside this winter.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Here's how I transformed this piece:
1. I sanded the top, using a palm sander, to remove the sheen and top coat of whatever they use. I made sure that I sanded the whole top down to the bare wood.
2. I used a base coat of ASCP Emperor's Silk.
3. I painted on a coat of ASCP Old Olive.
4. I brushed a coat of Antique Mahogany Briwax on the Old Olive and then buffed.
5. I sanded some random areas to reveal the Emperor's Silk.
6. Then I did the really fun part. I rubbed several coats of the Briwax on the sanded wood top, revealing the lovely wood grain.
I hope this inspires all you Froggers to transform something just plain useful into something useful and pretty.
Fondly, Tami

*words learned while helping my daughter study for the SAT.
I'm linking to:
DIY by Design 
Primitive and Proper

Updated Queen Anne Tables

I've been living with these tables for a long time, just waiting for the day when I could lighten them up. Darkeness, Oh how I hate you.

Don't get me wrong. I really liked this table at one time, when they were affordable while I was a young single nurse. I was able to buy them at an affordable price. They were in good shape, but my tastes have changed dramatically, and I want to lighten things up.

Here is the dramatic difference after just a few hours of work.

Another side by side.

Here's my favorite part. I sanded the top to get all of the dark color off, revealing a beautiful wood, ready to be waxed with my favorite Oak Briwax.

Here's the beautiful top. I will add a few more wax coats to give it some more durability. The legs were painted with ASCP in Old White, and finished with a light distressing and a coat of oak Briwax. I can't wait to do the second one, but alas, they may have to find their way to Building Character or a new venture in Lititz, which I will tell you about very soon.
Thanks for checkin' in!
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking to;
Miss Mustard Seed
Beyond the Picket Fence

Cute Little School Chairs

Hey, Froggers! I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I have had my hands in so many projects that my head is spinning. I'm gearing up to get my inventory up and running so I can do a few craft shows this fall. Perhaps I should have started in May! Uh. Oh.

Here's what I've been working on lately.
I started with these four adorable chairs. I found them at a yard sale (actually there were 6, but I'm saving 2 for another project). They came from my small town local elementary school that had been torn down and re-built. I'm just sorry, but I can't imagine any new chairs that would be cuter than this!

Since they were so adorable in and of themselves, I didn't want to change them up much, but of course, I had to paint them a little!

I used my favorite stencil technique. Even though I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite, and you're not supposed to have to sand the wood, this wood was pretty smooth. So, after I painted them, I kept the stencil vinyl on top, mixed some graphite with clear Briwax, kind of slathered it on, waited, pulled off the vinyl, and then lightly buffed the letters. Some of the paint did rub off, but we crafters like to call that "charm". Seriously, I did want some to come off, so it did look naturally worn.

And, I wanted it to look like someone was singing the ABC song, so I painted them accordingly (sing as you're reading them).

I wanted to include an artsy diagonal shot, but Google is telling me that I need to buy more storage space for my pics. I WILL find a way around this, PEEPS! ;)
Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this short little blurb.
Fondly, Tami
I'm linking up to:
Miss Mustard Seed