Organized Clutter

This week I have found myself in tears more than once.  First of all, I am a pretty busy lady with a 32 hour per week job in addition to blogging.  But this last week was really hard!  I, was under the weather.  Next, my laptop computer (that I blogged on) died, and I was without a computer for almost a week. I still haven't figured out the new computer operating system yet, and my photo quality is terrible. Then, I got the bright idea on my day off to paint the built-in cabinets in my bathroom with Annie Sloan in "French Linen". This idea came to me after looking at gray/coral rooms on Pinterest one evening. I will show you more of this makeover after I change up the decor a bit.  

Using items around your house as Christmas decor is both fun and inexpensive!  Today I used this wooden spool,  And these small, wooden thread spools to make a cute little rustic, Christmas vignette.

Here are a couple more inexpensive ideas for Christmas decorating with things you have around the house.  Today I am re-purposing tea strainers as tree ornaments.

 My plant stand started with this drawer purchased for $5 at a consignment shop.  This white pedestal was purchased for $7.50 at an antique shop. (And already painted white.)

While browsing through Christmas decor at Menard's last week, I spotted these red felt clothespin moose ornaments for $2.99.

This is a thrift shop shelf that I purchased for $2 recently.

 I found the cutest little pulley today at the consignment shop for $2.    I purchased it because I got an inspiration for a re-purposed Christmas tree ornament, and the price was right. I remembered that I had purchased this spool of music note ribbon at Jo Ann Fabrics last Christmas season but never used it.  I had planned to wrap some wooden thread spools, I think.

I am so pleased to be a part of a great group of junk artists today known as Salvage Style .  In my post, I share how I put together a fall Salvage Style outdoor vignette.  My fall anchor piece of 2014 is this great vintage orange pulley on a gate.  Why not hang it on an old gate (with a chain) like a fall wreath?  Here I placed pumpkins on rusty lanterns, and also added a small sign and raffia.

Last March I painted a section of my kitchen wall with chalkboard paint.  I thought it would be fun to fill the wall with cooking verbs but I think I overdid it.  At any rate, I needed to change it up. First off, I used the white frame on the wall to frame some vintage kitchen items.

Yes, I am crafting for Christmas in September! This framed button Christmas tree was one of my most popular Christmas crafts of 2012. My latest framed Christmas trees feature both old postage stamps and buttons.   Here I am soaking old cancelled stamps off  envelopes with a bowl of water.  I then dried them on paper towel.  These stamps are fairly old  (probably 50's and 60's) but not valuable.