Top 12 Projects of 2012

Whew. Where has the year gone!? It's been a great year with many changes since we sold our house this summer, moved out, and are now building our new house that will be completed in the spring. Not to mention that we've been super busy around the store, it constantly keeps us on our toes. There always seems to be either some sort of DIY project going on or a room full of furniture being painted. It's a lot of hard work, but also so rewarding at the same time. I love what I'm doing because not only is it my dream job, but I enjoy working with my husband everyday along with meeting new people and seeing our regular customers that are so sweet and supportive. I'm looking forward to celebrating the store's two year anniversary on January 4th!

I haven't been able to blog as much this year, as I did last year, but I really appreciate your support and I cannot wait to see what the new year brings! Here are just a few of the projects that I completed this year.

DIY Twine Letter

Metal Basket Pendant Lights

Spring Burlap Wreath

Arm Chair Update

Buffet Makeover

Repurposed Vintage Firescreen

DIY Barnwood Signs

Patio Coffee Table Makeover

New Dresser and Bedroom Update

Chicken Wire Cabinet

Distressed Blue Chest

DIY Chevron Pushpin Boards

If you're interested here's my Top Projects of 2011 and for more furniture inspiration check out my Portfolio page.

Happy New Year!!

I'm sharing with Southern Hospitality, Bliss Ranch, and Knick of Time.

Scrabble & Button Magnets

I recently made some silver platter chalkboards for the store and then realized the platters were also magnetic- so I decided to make some magnets to display on the chalkboards. Then I remembered that I bought several vintage board games and a huge collection of vintage buttons at an estate sale awhile back that would be perfect for this project. 

I bought several packs of small rectangular and circular magnets at Hobby Lobby and just hot glued the scrabble letters and button clusters to create custom magnets. In the spirit of Christmas I spelled out festive words to display on the chalkboards.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing with Knick of Time, Sugar Bee Crafts, Kammy's Korner, The Farmhouse Porch, and Coastal Charm.

Natural Christmas Tree

I want to share with you the natural Christmas tree at our store. I used different birds, birds nest, a bird house, grapevine and moss garland, moss ribbon, feathers, and a lot of red with a touch of gold to decorate the tree this year.

I used craft paper as gift wrapping, striped ribbon and twine, glittery deer and a free printable for gift tags. 

I displayed some of the gifts in a small red wagon to add a vintage touch to the decor.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

I'm sharing with Thrifty Decor Chic and Restoration House Interiors. 

Sheet Music and Twine Ornaments

Today I'm sharing with you a simple and fun way to make your own Christmas ornaments. I used clear glass ornaments from Hobby Lobby and filled them with strips of vintage sheet music, twine, and red striped ribbon. 

Really anything small and thin can be used inside the ornaments. Since I already had the materials on hand, I just worked with what I had. This year I used a lot of natural elements in my Christmas decor, so these neutral colored ornaments add to the theme.

I displayed them at the store in well worn, vintage sewing machine drawers. 

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking to Southern Lovely, Trendy Treehouse, and Ginger Snap Crafts.

Giant Wooden Star

I came across this great re-purpose idea HERE and decided to give it a try. I made my own giant wooden star using vintage yardsticks and twine.

I LOVE all the different colors and advertisements on these vintage yardsticks!

To assemble the star just simply lay them out in a star shape, hot glue the edges and the places they cross. Then wrap twine around the corners of the star for a little something extra to finish it off.

This is a great inexpensive and fun craft project for year around decorating. 

I'm sharing with Centsational Girl, Delightful Order, Shabby Creek Cottage, Liz Marie Blog, Funky Junk, It's Overflowing, Home Stories A to Z, and Beyond the Picket Fence.  

Christmas Mantel

This year I decorated the mantel at our store with natural greenery, magnolia leaves, pine cones, glittered birds and some moss and burlap ribbon to finish it off. It's hard to believe that it all started with just two strands of inexpensive garland and eventually it ended up looking so natural. I just kept layering and layering until I had the look I was going for. 

I use natural elements all throughout my Christmas decor every year. There's just something about the fresh smell and the beauty of nature that I never get tired of. 

This gorgeous mantel was originally oak and we updated it with a lot of paint and a little distressing. Check out the Mantel Makeover HERE.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks ahead. I'll be sharing more of my Christmas crafts and Christmas decor with you.

I'm linking to The Lettered Cottage, Savvy Southern Style, 52 Mantels, It's Overflowing, and Silver Pennies.

DIY Coffee Filter Wreath

I've wanted to make one of these fluffy white wreaths for awhile now! It was so simple to make and cost less than $5. It took about an hour to complete, but well worth the time. I used a pack of coffee filters, a hot glue gun, a wreath form, and burlap ribbon.

Just take the ruffled edge of each coffee filter and poof them, then hot glue the bottom of the filters all the way around the wreath. Make sure the filters are glued very close to each other- to make your wreath full. I hung the wreath in our store with burlap ribbon.  

I'm sharing with Craft-O-Maniac, Alderberry Hill, It's Overflowing, and Three Mango Seeds.