Pretty Memo Board

Ugh...it's so hot outside today. I've only stuck my head out the door, but I'm feeling the heat inside. I haven't turned on the air, yet, either. I've been playing a game with myself this summer to see how long I can hold out until I absolutely can't stand it any more. Thank God Idaho has cool nights--it gives me something to look forward to!

Anyhow, I saw a very cute idea for a memo board yesterday when I was out and about. Very simple, very functional and very, very cute! It's just a photo frame with pretty paper. The memo area is the glass and you use a dry erase marker to take messages and leave notes. See:


Isn't it adorable?? I'm thinking I can make a few for Christmas presents, birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, etc...

Aw shucks! Now you know what you are getting for a gift, regardless the occasion! :) Enjoy!

Confessions of a Reality TV Junkie (Or, What I Wouldn't Give to Decorate Holly Madison's House)

I admit it. I'm a reality tv junkie! My current addiction is Real Housewives of New Jersey (followed by RHONY.) When I'm not watching the shows, I'm reading the cast members' blogs.

And tonight, while I'm supposed to be working on my school work, I'm actually watching the preview of Holly's World on E!. In case you are unaware, this is Holly Madison's show that follows her exploits in Las Vegas, after she left the Playboy Mansion. I <3 Holly! Especially after I learned two things about her tonight: 1) she has a love for vintage things; and 2) judging by the footage, her house is in desperate need of a decorator! Seriously, it's as bare and ugly as a frat house!

So I'm gonna' just throw it out to the Universe and ask, "Please pick me to decorate Holly Madison's house in Las Vegas!"

I'd come in with some vintage, Hollywood Regency glam style! I saw the little chickadee figurines she had, and I'd incorporate some of that whimsy into the design/ decor as well!

Now that the words are spoken, let's see what the Universe cooks up for me! :)

In other news, my Bicyclette Coasters sold today. I was happy they did, but also a little sad because I wanted to enjoy them for myself a little longer. Not that I was using them. I just liked to look at them...they brought a smile to my face.

And today had me working on other coaster designs, too, like my "Golden Age of Boxing" Coasters. Stay tuned for the vintage camera series, Gray's Anatomy series, and vintage "household items" series. Oh, and in honor of today's visit to the National Old Time Fiddler Festival in Weiser, I want to create a bluegrass series, too!

Anyhow, that's all for now!

Reflections and Fuckery

I don't know why it bothered me so much, but I recently saw a pair of shoes on Etsy that were being passed off as "vintage" when they clearly were not. I dropped a friendly convo to the seller of said shoes, to let her know that she may have been bamboozled.

I got a rather terse response back from her. I wasn't trying to start anything. I just wanted to point out that the average Etsy shopper is very savvy and knows their history. I didn't want her to have any trouble from a potential shopper who would see that her description was false.

Silly me for trying to be nice.

But here's the deal...Etsy is not Ebay. You can post anything on Ebay and auction it off for whatever someone is willing to pay. Etsy is a forum for artists, crafters and collectors. Etsy caters to a different audience, an audience who knows and appreciates the artist's way. I guess I was just trying to protect our little place on the web. That's all. I'm learning, at 37 years old, that I just need to let go of things like this and not to take it too personally. Crazy that I haven't figured it out yet. Oh well.

This is a nice segue into my latest project idea, though. I'm going to upcycle a bunch of mirrors I found at a thrift store. I must get to work on the sketches, and I'll post them here later. Ta for now.

POST SCRIPT: I have recently been turned onto to www.regretsy.com and can't stop Belgian ROFL!

Take a look at this category; Things that clearly are not vintage

Bicyclette Coasters

Today I made a set of four coasters, each sporting a different vintage bicycle image. They're perfect for the bicycle enthusiast, and have a versatile look to enhance just about any decor theme.


They were relatively easy to make, since I had everything I needed right in my possession. It did require a few extra steps that I was unprepared for, but I managed and they turned out great!

In case you haven't noticed, many of my craft projects are upcycled items.

• Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling
• The repurposing of a material into a product of higher quality. An example would be a purse made out of woven candy wrappers.
  mslk.com/reactions/green-fashion-glossary/

So here's the thing. I am engaged to a man who built the house in which we live. With recycled materials. And items from Craig's List. We often joke that this is the house craigslist.com built. Needless to say, there are plenty of building materials left over that I can upcycle. I can't say what catches my fancy, but I'm sure that if I treated our house like a rummage sale, (especially the basement!) I could find enough materials to keep me going for some time now!

Anyhow, I have some smaller travertine tiles left over that we decided not to use on our bathroom. I'm thinking they'll make great refrigerator magnets.

But for now, my ADD is kicking in. I think I will go bake some cupcakes to show off the new cupcake wrappers I made last night out of Mexican bingo cards. :)

Provencal Menu Board- Upcycled Project of the Week

I am a believer in synchronicity. Just a few weeks ago, I was talking out loud to myself while driving in the car. I wasn't really paying attention, but I do recall that I said something to the effect of, "I need some wood that I can use to make chalkboards for the kids' rooms." Well, the next day, I was a yard sale and found an entire stack of cabinet door covers for only $5! I think by speaking the words out loud, the Universe answered!



With all the materials I have lying around the house, I thought I'd try my hand at making something a little more suited to the trends of the summer. I have about a gajillion cabinet knobs for use on my project, as well. And not just these, but a WIDE selection (see our shop, right).


And without further adieu, here is a look at my first chalkboard for Blackbird Creative. I have an entire sketchbook of new designs...can't wait to roll them out.



Our Provencal Menu Board is a one-of-a-kind piece. Perfect for summer weddings (as directional signs, for seating charts, or menu boards); for a bridal or baby shower or an outdoor dinner party. After, use it in the house as a family note board.

This item is for sale in our shop: $35. Items can be custom ordered. If you have a specific design in mind, just let me know! I'd be happy to collaborate.

P.S. We are not limited to black chalkboard paint, either! I can do ANY color! Just ask!

Brass Nuggets

What to think about these knobs? They are old, that's for sure. They have some vintage wear on them, and they are HEAVY! My fiance sat here and imagined, "wouldn't it be great if you found out they were really gold?" And then I thought, perhaps I should get them tested.... :)



Anyhow, these are going to be great on one of my chalkboards! I can't wait to get started!

Brass Cherub Lamp

Another French cottage find, I just love the way the lamp seems to have a life its own. I'm holding onto it until I can figure out what to do with the lamp shade. I think I want to go more modern with it. Maybe I'll cover the shade in burlap? Or maybe I should just deconstruct the whole lamp into other, more interesting pieces? At any rate, whatever I decide to do, I'll be sure an post photos.

Porcelain French Court Lamp

I love this boudoir lamp! It's so romantic!

I'm at a loss for what to call it. I immediately thought "French Courtesan Lamp." And then I looked up the definition:

cour·te·san (kôrt-zn, kr-)

n.

A woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are members of a royal court or men of high social standing.

---

[French courtisane, from Old French, from Old Italian cortigiana, feminine of cortigiano, courtier, from corte, court, from Latin cohors, cohort-; see gher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

WHICH....this could still work, except that I don't like the negative connotations associated with the word. So I will just pretend that they are members of Marie Antoinette's royal court, her friends, whom she enjoyed dancing with (and for.)

What I really like about them is the fact that they are more of a matte ceramic finish coupled with the antiqued brass base. It has just enough vintage wear to make it yummy! The creamy white matte porcelain and the antiqued brass base would really enhance a french cottage decor. It's got that timeless faded and love-worn look.


I'm thinking that I might even pull these from my inventory and use it in my own bedroom as a bedside lamp. The only reason I have listed it for sale is because I've got too many irons in the fire and no time to rewire it.

Although, I hear it is pretty easy to rewire lamps. Hmmmmm....

They are lovely, aren't they?

Our visit to the Farm Chicks Antiques Show

The Farm Chicks Show really got me channeling my inner-Martha. Here are are few more pics for my virtual inspiration board.





There was lots of burlap, doilies and dried hydrangeas.



Zoe checking out the goodies.


Brown, silver and white. It was soothing.


Chippy furniture.


A bowl-full of old keys.



Relax.



Zoe at the Tarte booth. One of my faves!



Polished and tarnished silver.

Time On My Hands

My first post on BBC, and I am at a loss for where to start, which is kind of weird because I always have so much to say.

I had the pleasure of attending the Farm Chicks Antiques Show with my daughter, Zoe, earlier this month. Love, love, loved the show!





We only got to spend an hour, and we really needed much more time to take in all of the booths (there were so many!) It was a great mix of old and new, burlap and leather and doilies and turquoise and pink. A little country, a little frenchie, it was spectacular!



All I can say is thank goodness we went! The Farm Chicks are so creative and the show was spectacular! Since, I've been inspired to create some of my own goodies.

For instance, this clock was a fun little project (and just the beginning of my quest to create!):

Now, the clock itself is a smallish desk clock, about 8" tall, made of resin. It was brown and gold, and reeked of ugliness. I took the thing anyway, thinking that I could give it a face lift/ makeover. And that is exactly what I did! I took it apart, literally gave it a new face with some pretty paper in luscious berry, sprayed it a crisp robin's egg blue, and then put it all back together again. Voila!

I have another clock I want to reface, and will post it later with step-by-step details (in case anyone is interested!)

In the meantime, have a fantastic day!