Shabby Chic altered lampshade DIY

I embellished a plain lampshade for a friend. I used ribbon trim around the bottom of the shade and flowers and beaded sprays, all from Hobby Lobby.  A hot glue gun, wire cutters, and scissors are all you need for tools. The lighting for these photos was not the best. The colors are actually off white and pale aqua.   Don't spend money on the pre-made ones. Do it yourself!

Repurposed vintage keys, "Believe" and "Trust"

I have altered two old keys that I found at estate sales.  I love to use vintage dictionary pages in my work, so I have wrapped the stems of these keys with the definitions of "believe" and "trust."  They are gentle reminders to keep your thoughts positive. I sealed the papers and sparkled them for a magical look. I further embellished them with some bead dangles.
I collect old dictionaries wherever I can find them.  Keys too!

Oh! The third necklace is one of my layerd pieces. I use a brass bib for the base. I blacken it for an aged look.  The coin focal point has a rhinestone chain around it.

All of my work is one of a kind. I may use similar or the same elements but they are always designed in a unique way.

You can find these necklaces on my Ebay sister site under the Ebay name "Oldstorybooks," where I list other vintage and antique finds.  Here are the links:

Believe

Trust

Coin necklace

A repurposed sauerkraut jar! DIY

Here is another repurposed jar, this one a sauerkraut jar.  It now holds tealights!   The knob was on clearance at Anthropolgy. I sanded the lid, but not completely. Then I used Ranger's alcohol ink to age it.  I made the label using my collage maker and a vintage image from The Graphic's Fairy.  This one is going to my daughter-in-law for her birthday.  This could be used for an inexpensive hostess gift so save those jars!

Inspired by Restoration Hardware!

Here is one of my inexpensive decorating ideas. I was inspired by the very expensive ones that I saw in the Restoration Hardware catalog,framed prints of antique English music. For my project, I used Dollar Tree frames (but they are wooden!), cold pressed water color paper, and French music prints taken from the graphics fairy site. All of her prints are public domain, so you are not infringing on copyright when you use them. I used the water color paper as a background. It gives a bit of texture. Then, I laid the printed music on top, making sure all sides were even.

I love old paper and these print off so well that they look like the real thing! I have them hanging in my family room on the opposite wall where I have two of my dad's old violins hanging. Restoration Hardware's prints go the other direction, longways, while mine are sideways, but they still look great and for a few pennies I can have the look!

Repurposed pasta jar idea!

I can't take the credit for this idea. It's from my beautiful niece, Ashley Burkhardt, who loves to create and repurpose items. She got this idea from the Nate Berkus show. You can use any jar with a lid. In this case, I used a Bertolli pasta sauce jar because I liked the embossed design on the glass. Sand off the lid until all of the wording is gone. Then drill a hole in the center for the knob. I used a knob from Anthropology. It had been hiding in a drawer for several years and it finally has a purpose! I filled my jar with white and natural colored buttons for a shabby chic look. Just think of all of those jars you have thrown out! They could have been treasures! I rethink everything before I toss it nowadays.