Featuring Vintage Supply Company

I'm just going to warn you now that this post will cause you to spend excessive time on the computer. I strongly recommend you get yourself a glass of wine or cup of coffee before you begin. Go ahead...I'll wait. La, la, la, la...are you back? Great. I'm ready to share a little secret with you.  You see I have a little place on line that I love for vintage goodies and mixed media supplies. Do you love the beautiful chippy escutcheons above? I do too. They are from my favorite little Etsy store Vintage Supply Company. Want to see more? Wouldn't these look fabulous framed?

  Need skeleton keys at a reasonable price?

 Oh, I'm crazy for the color on these!!

Let me share a few of my own purchases from Vintage Supply with you! 

Brass tags for altered bottles and other art, rusty tins, watch vials and parts, distressed copper wings and brass stencils for making art dolls and assemblages. I found this package of ephemera for sale tonight for $10.  What a great mix for the beginner or experienced crafter -

I love to browse through the shop on Saturday mornings over coffee. There is always something new to see. My head just fills with ideas for art projects and home decor. Not an artist? You will find so many unique items here for your vintage inspired home. There are plenty of items for "instant collections." Think about fillers for apothecary jars, pictures and other ephemera for your flower frogs and plenty of great items for framing. 

The owner of Vintage Supply Company is none other than Jeanette Janson, mixed media artist.  Jeanette is so talented.  I recently purchased this assemblage bird from her -

Isn't it gorgeous? She's hanging in my little studio right now. Recognize the copper wings above? Jeanette has a separate Etsy shop for her artwork which you can find here.  She sells her assemblages (frequently sold out) and mixed media jewelry.  Here's a necklace from an optical lens and another from a typewriter key available right now in the shop -

Her prices are so reasonable for such unique pieces.  I just love her work and can spend hours browsing the supply shop, the artwork shop and her blog!  You thought we were done?! Definitely not! I warned you. This post is like an onion. So many layers and links to explore.  You'll see Jeanette in my blog roll.  On her blog she lets you know about new items in the supply shop from her numerous junking trips and posts photos of her new creations.  You can also explore her left sidebar and see more of her completed artwork like these lovely assemblages

It is so easy to find inspiration through Jeanette's sites.  I hope you will enjoy your visits to her Etsy shops Vintage Supply Company and Jeanette Janson mixed media artist.  I also suggest you take some time to explore her blog. She's an experienced junker like most of you and the photos of how she uses her finds in her artwork are just divine. Just remember when you look at the clock and you are still in your pj's at noon, you were warned!  Thanks for stopping by! I'm off to Great Day in the Country Saturday morning. That is our largest local craft show. I'll be sure to have my camera in hand.  Come back soon my friends. There is a giveaway brewing to celebrate 200 followers! Thank you each so much for your support.  Have a safe weekend!

My new ornaments and featured today!

Happy Friday dear friends! So glad you had a minute to stop by.  As promised in my last post, I unloaded some of the hidden treasures in my car and snapped a few more photos of the ornaments I bought at the holiday open house this week.  I really like rustic and prim for the fall and winter.  I bought several of these acorns for decorating this Thanksgiving. I also found some super cute Christmas ornaments. Take a look...

I love the ice skates. So cute!  As you know, I've been making ornaments for my tree. If you are a new visitor or  follower, take a look at my mason jar ornaments here and here.  I think these will go nicely with the zinc lids and cookie cutter ornaments I made last year. We are trying to stick to a homemade tree. Like I said before, the days of Mom's special tree out of the latest magazine or catalog are gone. We enjoy our handmade, found object tree now.  Everyone is a part of it. Found this adorable pillow too this week - 

And one of my favorite finds because it is so darn simple are these rusty tin cans with Christmas pics -

Aren't these fun? Do you like them? I will add some old tattered lace to these and the small red book ornament above but otherwise I love them. They have little rusty tin stars too. I bet these are easy to make. They will look great on my back porch. And, before I go...remember the chippy green scale? I just wanted to show you a better picture. It really is a John Deere green.

It looks great in my kitchen. I'll have to move her around a bit and find the right spot.  I'll share a picture of where she lands.

I hope you have a great Friday. I am hosting a holiday handmade open house here at my home on Sunday. We do it every year with several Etsy friends. I'll have plenty of pics for you.  I have some fun thrifty finds too that are waiting to be photographed and shared.  I've been a lucky girl this past week or so! I'm also so pleased to tell you I am being featured today over at The Answer is Chocolate.  Carol is the "head chocolatier" over there. She does a "Feature Friday" post now.  It is a great way to discover new blogs. Carol is very talented too and has been featured in numerous blogs herself. You should check out some of her craft projects and chocolate desserts she lists in her sidebar! If you are visiting from her blog, WELCOME! I hope you enjoy your visit. Your comments and follows are so appreciated!  Be back soon. 

Girls Night out at Antique Store Open House

Here we are out for a night at our favorite local (I'm talking 5 minutes from home) antique store, Hidden Treasures.  Not to be confused with "Hidden Treasures" which is what we call all the stuff in the back of my van right now. How ironic? lol  From the left - Kelley, Jodi, Kim and me. All of these ladies are very talented and treasured friends.  Our strategy for this open house was to hit our two favorite booths and score some of our favorite primitive and rustic handmade holiday ornaments. Mission accomplished. I'll have to do a post on the purchases for you this weekend.  You see, I was too busy fighting the crowds to get my ornaments to snap pictures. They sell out fast. So, we made our purchases first then ate and enjoyed taking pics.  Here is one thing that I managed to take a photo of before I purchased -

I'd been admiring this green (hard to tell with the florescent lighting) chippy scale for some time.  Even half way through the open house she was still sitting there...calling me. The price was right and I pulled the trigger.  The prices here in this small town store are always very, very reasonable. We have larger antique stores that are better staged in downtown Orlando, but you'll pay the price.  The "holiday" open house tonight was not filled with breathtaking vignettes like I see in blog land, but there were some great bargains to be found. After all, it is the hunt I like the most!  I do wish there were more vintage Christmas items. There were plenty of handmade primitive items but I was hoping for beautiful trees filled with Christmas past.  Not tonight. Here are a few highlights though...

I love the altered mason jar.  It is now a votive holder. One of these came home with me too!  This adorable tractor and trailer were so cute. I had so many ideas for it but decided to pass.  Super nice vintage sled!

I have a thing for wooden rocking horses. I have a small one that sits by my front door. I really liked this one. These stacked trunks looked great together and were all very reasonable. No space at my house for these though. How about yours? Here is one of the handmade ornaments I didn't buy but thought it was cute enough to share! There were way too many to choose from.

The girls wanted to buy me this rooster coffee service. I do love what it says, "Coffee maketh bright the spirit." I don't know if "bright" is what you would call me after the six cups of Starbucks I brew for myself each morning.  Does that help explain some of my chipper comments on your blogs at 6:00 in the morning?

Finally, this was one of the fun finds of the evening.  Jodi loves small vintage kitchen tools. She displays them in cheese boxes in her kitchen. Her husband is Italian and the cook in the family. She bought this for Jeff to make ravioli and for her to display when not in use. It's a cutie.

So, no vintage Christmas treasures but lots of fun handmade ornaments. I will take some photos of mine this week. I also bought some pine drying racks to use in my kitchen as wall art.  So, I had a good night, with good friends, at a great local place!  

More altered Vintage mason jar lid ornaments

 Hello, friends! Happy Monday to you.  I've been a busy bee all weekend. How about you?  I've been creating a bit and getting organized. I've made some more altered mason jar lid ornaments. I love these Russian clock faces I found. These will be on my tree this year. Here are a few more for you...

Lots of great things going on this week that I will share with you. Tomorrow night is our favorite antique store's Christmas Open House. I'll be making it a girls night with my friends Kelley, Kim and Jodi. Can't wait for the bargains and ideas. I'll have my camera in hand to share.

Saturday is an annual event in my town "A Great Day in the Country."  It is a local craft show that I never miss. I'll be sure to take pictures of the show and my purchases for you.  We make a day of this one too!

On Sunday, I'll be hosting an Etsy open house at my home.  I do this annually with some close friends who all happen to sell on Etsy.  We invite friends, neighbors, co-workers and enjoy an afternoon of good food, wine and of course, handmade goodness! I've made some vintage book wreaths, printed some Santa's on my vintage sheet music and made a few dozen of my Pottery Barn copy cat ornaments.  I decided to keep my "booth" low key this year and focus on being a hostess and a blogger. I can't wait to take pics for you.  I have a few other projects that may be done in time. We'll see! Let me leave you with this shot...

As you can see, it is a beautiful sunny Florida day here today. That little nest is empty and the fledglings survived the Basset Hounds with a little help!  It is nice and cool here too. I did not edit my photos today. The shots came out crisp and clean on their own. I let the sunshine and blue skies do the work! Look for lots of fun posts coming up! Thank you for your follows and comments. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to stop by!  I'm linking this post to Cindy Adkins Creative Spirit Challenge.  If you have not visited Cindy's blog before, you are in for a treat. She is always creating and listing in her Etsy shop. I'm also linking to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm. On Wednesday, I'll be linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage. On Friday and Saturday, I'm headed to these parties:  Show and Tell Friday, Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday Night Special.  These are great parties! I hope you will head over and check them out! Hugs!!

Vintage Mason Jar Lid Ornaments

Hello and thanks for stopping by!  Here is another easy homemade ornament idea for you.  I used zinc mason jar lids with the porcelain inserts.  These are easy to find at most thrift stores and antique shops for $1 or so. If you don't see them ask! Jars break all the time and there may be some of these floating around behind the counter waiting to be turned into treasure.

I love the beautiful colors these aged jar lids turn.  This lid has not been painted.  It is just aged to perfection!

I just love this little "elf."  The image is from The Graphics Fairy. I'm linking him up to Brag Monday. I used my photo editing software to add the hat and word.  These ornaments are easy to make. You will start by using a nail and hammer to create two holes opposite from each other (top/bottom) for your hanger and anything you might want to to dangle. Just a tap with the hammer and your nail will form a small hole. I place a piece of scrap wood underneath while I am doing this. Then, trace the bottom of the jar lid onto your photo, vintage image, etc.  Before I cut, I usually mount my image onto chipboard (got a coaster?) then cut. You need a thick base to glue the image to the jar lid.  Also, these lids are not perfectly round. So, cut your image, sand the edges (use a nail file) and see if it fits. Trim as necessary.  Place a layer of lace or cheesecloth underneath the image to help cover any imperfections in your not so perfect circle. You could also use some vintage pipe cleaner like I did here.

Once you have your image mounted on chipboard, cut, sanded and fitted into place, glue it down with a strong glue.  If I'm adding cheesecloth it goes under the image.  If I'm adding pipe cleaner, it goes on top. Then I decorate my hanger and find something shiny, like these small chandelier crystals, to hang from the bottom. If I did not glitter the image, I will seal it with a light gel medium. She's done!  Would you like to see the inspiration for these?  I mentioned it in my previous post...my husband's fourth grade pickle jar lid portrait...brace yourself for some retro cuteness...

And he says he has no interest in crafting and being thrifty! **smile**  For the record he ditched the bow ties and did not turn out half bad as you can see here. lol My mother in law gave this too me a few years ago.  She knew it would be in good hands.  I love it and so do my kids.  More ornament ideas are on the way! So, if you are new to my blog, I hope you will consider becoming a follower. And, by all means don't be shy..leave a comment. I read every one!  I'm being featured today over at  Brenda's Cozy Little House. I'm thrilled to meet some of her followers. THANK YOU and welcome!  I'm also linking this post to the following parties this week:

SNS at Funky Junk Interiors
Get your craft on
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 

Inspiration Friday at Southern in my Heart 

Pottery Barn Copy Cat Christmas Ornaments

 Photo: Pottery Barn

Curse you Pottery Barn for having such cute stuff!  The most recent PB catalogs are just filled with vintage flair and found object style.  Now, my family has committed to a homemade tree these past few years.  The days of Mom having a tree out of the latest magazine or style book are gone. We embrace all the kids handmade ornaments and even proudly display my husband's fourth grade self portrait on a pickle jar lid.  Every year, I also make ornaments too based on the latest trends or my vintage finds.  So, I was drooling browsing through the PB Christmas items for inspiration, and I came across these gorgeous song bird ornaments and my gears began to turn...

The set of four ornaments sells for $29.00.  I set out to make something similar for under $10.00 and share the process with you along the way!  So, here is the ornament I focused on -

Here's my supply list: 

Clear plastic ornament from hobby store $1

Sheet music

3 in scallop or circle punch

Glue, spray adhesive, scissors, fine glitter

Christmas, bird die cuts

Cheesecloth or ribbon

I simply cut a 3 inch scallop from my sheet music and a piece of cardstock. I mounted the sheet music on the cardstock for support.  My clear plastic ornament had rounded edges. I chose to use the scallop punch to give my ornament a similiar shape to theirs.  I then made a small collage using my die cuts and saved digital images.  I hand cut each piece and glued in place. Now, my die cuts were too large for the 3 inch scallop so when I was done positioning each piece, I had to cut away the excess.  I chose to handcut since my scallop punch is not as sharp as it used to be. When I was done I had this -

What do you think? Simiiar to the PB one? 

Now, to get the collage inside the ornament, you must roll the paper to a size small enough to fit into the top. This will not work with a collage piece made of cardstock and die cuts.  So, I scanned the image into my computer!  I then added the image to my photo software and printed a 3.5 x 5 copy on cream cardstock.  I simply had to line up my scallop punch on the copy, cut and voila! I had a perfect 3 inch scallop copy of my original collage ready to go! I gave it a light spray of adhesive and sprinkled fine glitter to add a little sparkle like the PB version. I chose not to glitter my edges. I distressed instead. I was worried it would scratch the ornament and it would be difficult to roll.  Let's put her in the ornament now.

Use a pencil (eraser end) or small paint brush to help roll down the sides and position the collage where you want it.  Then to help the image stay flat and to add some fun texture to the other side, add some decorative excelsior fill (the white moss). Note these are not round ornament bulbs. They are more convex like the back of a spoon.  Here she is all done! ...and here's me taking photos in the rain. lol

As an added treat...I'm sharing my collage digital image with you!  No need to make your own collage, scan, etc.  Just right click this image and save to your computer. In your photo editing software, choose to print this as 3.5 x 5 photo size but on cream cardstock.  Either punch out the image or hand cut.  You will just need to add a touch of glitter and place inside your clear plastic ornament.

You can use any vintage image you have on hand too.  They don't have to be round to look great floating inside the ornaments. What about black and whites of your family on Christmas morning or the kids sitting on Santa's lap? Don't want to use the originals? Just make copies on cardstock -

So, glad you stopped by on this rainy day! I hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial and the freebie! Your comments and follows are greatly appreciated.  I'm altering some vintage finds today to create more ornaments. I'll be sharing those this week too.  I'm linking my little white Santas above to White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage.  I'm also linking to Its so very Cheri and Rednesday . On Friday, I'll be linking to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.  Stop by and be inspired!