Luscious chocolates box

Hi everyone!

Today’s post brings a little confession: I am a chocoholic! I guess that became clear to me last S. Valentine’s day, when my boyfriend handed me a wonderful (and big) box of chocolates and told me: “I knew you would have enjoyed flowers, but I guess you will like these more!”. That was a very pleasant surprise, because it made me understand how well he truly knows me (ahahah…no! that was a pleasant surprise because I had an entire box of chocolates for me…yummy!!!!!!)…well the deeper meaning also came to my mind, but only after I got the sweets out of my sight ;-).

After some days of intense efforts put into not finishing all those goodies right away, I decided to use this experience as inspiration for a vintage, yummy decoupage box, which I will dedicate to all the chocoholics out there. If you also share this little addiction, or if you know anyone who does, here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to create your own.

Materials:

• Wooden box
• Matte basecoat
• Cream acrylic paint
• Liquid bitumen (or any other antiquing medium)
• Decoupage glue
• Clear sealer
• Background image (optional) (I used Calambour’s mulberry paper PAU59)
• Chocolates graphics (I got mine from Calambour’s mulberry paper DGR180)
• Chocolates label (I used one from Calambour’s paper DGE229)
• Lace

First of all, I lightly sanded the box surface. I then applied the basecoat and the cream paint, letting dry between coats. I sanded again the entire surface, so that the wood grain would emerge. I tore small pieces of background mulberry paper and glued them sparsely using decoupage glue. Once the piece dried, I added the pastries graphics (both on the inside and on the outside of the box… chocolates are never enough, right?) and the label, before applying 3 coats of clear sealer in order to protect the creation.

I then gave a vintage look to the piece by  using a sponge to apply liquid bitumen on the edges. I advice to always use the antiquing medium after a couple coats of sealer, otherwise the paper, which is more permeable then the wood, might get stained.

To embellish the box, I used decoupage glue to attach the cotton lace around the perimeter of the top. When doing this, I am usually very generous with the quantity of glue I use (I keep brushing it on, until the lace gets soaked). This not only allows for a better bonding, but also makes the lace water (and stain) proof.

And here is my little finished creation!

I hope you like it, and I wish you a very sweet day!

My favorite parties: Under the Table and Dreaming -  Between Naps on the Porch - Dwellings - Creatively living - The dedicated house - Rain on a tin Roof - Its So Very Cheri - DIY Showoff - The Stories of A2Z - Coastal Charm - A Stroll thru Life - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Stone Gable - Cozy little house  - Knick of time -Savvy Southern Style - Ivy and Elaphants - Green Willow Pond - Chic by Tab - No Minimalist Here - From my front porch to yours - Craftberry Bush  - The Brambleberry Cottage - French Country Cottage - Common Ground - The Charm of Home - The shabby nest - Romantic home - Sunny simple life - The cottage market

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Spring nest

Hi everyone,

The last days have been wonderful here in Milan, with lots of sunshine and warm afternoons bringing happiness and anticipation for spring’s official start in a couple of days. I therefore decided to I start decorating the house in order to welcome the new season.

I had been looking for a cute, shabby bird cage for a very long time and finally found one last weekend, while walking around the center of the city. The piece was already very nice (you can see how it originally looked like in picture 2), but I still decided to personalize it with little adornments I found at a craft fair, which was also happening this weekend (and here you understand how very joyful the last couple of days must have been ;-) ).

First of all, I weaved an artificial peach flowers branch among the bars of the cage, adding little berry bunches here and there. I then used wire to attach a cute bird and a couple of tiny eggs to a pretty little nest. Last but not least, I created a clay rose to be added between the front bars.

I liked how the piece turned out, but something was still missing. I therefore decoupaged two wooden eggs using Calambour’s wonderful mulberry papers. I chose a sheet of music (PAU 48) and some roses (PAU 75 and PAU 34), which reminded me of the wonderful sound of spring birds’ songs.

I am very pleased with my little creation, which perfectly matches my spring wreath I made yesterday (pictures coming soon) and lightly brings some spring in my room. I hope you will like it too… and wish you a  wonderful, almost-spring day!

My favorite parties: Under the Table and Dreaming -  Between Naps on the Porch - Dwellings - Creatively living - The dedicated house - Rain on a tin Roof - Its So Very Cheri - DIY Showoff - The Stories of A2Z - Coastal Charm - A Stroll thru Life - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Stone Gable - Cozy little house  - Knick of time -Savvy Southern Style - Ivy and Elaphants - Green Willow Pond - Chic by Tab - No Minimalist Here - From my front porch to yours - Craftberry Bush  - The Brambleberry Cottage - French Country Cottage - Common Ground - The Charm of Home - The shabby nest - Romantic home - Sunny simple life - The cottage market

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Decoupaged vintage ornaments

Hi everyone!

Christmas is almost here and I am so excited! These days I had such a great time crafting the last decorations, while listening to Christmas songs, and today I finally completed my tree adding some final ornaments.

The steps I used to complete these little creations are the ones of sphere 1 that you can find here, but this time, instead of buying decorative paper with the manufacturer’s graphics, I had my own designs printed (yayyy!!!!)

It was such a long time I wanted to do it! Each time I visited Graphics Fairy’s website, I was amazed by the gorgeous vintage images she was posting and I kept imagining them decorating my tree. A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was time to stop dreaming and start doing!

First of all, I downloaded 3 beautiful graphics: a cute elf girl, a sweet cat and a lovely dog. I then I cut, resized them, and modified saturation and brightness in order to unify the designs. I also added a common background and small decorative leaves in front of every image, before cropping them in the shape of a circle, so that they would fit on my Christmas plexiglass baubles.

I was able to get everything printed by Calambour, a company located here in Milan that produces mulberry paper. Personally, I really like the job they did: images are crisp, the result professional, and people at their office very helpful, so I will ask them again if I will need more printing. If you wish to print by yourself however, you could use regular paper or try the steps of this tutorial to print on mulberry paper with your inkjet printer.

And here are my beauties! I love how I was finally able to get those gorgeous graphics on my tree…everything turned out just as I wanted (and I am happy, happy, happyyyyy!!!).

I wish you a lovely day and joyful holidays!

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Romantic decoupaged candle dish

Hi everyone!

Today’s creation’s story begins a couple of weeks ago, when walked into one of my favourite shops to get a candle for the vintage candle holder I had just created. I didn’t go there on purpose, so I didn’t have with me the exact measurements of the piece, but I still decided to buy the candle that looked closer to what I needed.

I once again proved that using memory to guess the right size is something I should never do, since apparently, my failure is not limited to my boyfriend’s t-shirts (2 wrong size gifts in a row). When I got home, I indeed realized that the candle was at least twice the size I needed.

I was already planning to return it, when, a couple of days later I found in a thrift store a dish in which it would fit perfectly (I, of course, found out about the fit later, since when I bought it I just thought it was a nice piece to decorate. I guess I would have otherwise got one that was either way too large or definitely too small).

It was a square, very simple and cheap white porcelain plate, but I believed it had potential. When I got home I started working on it. So I will now stop with the chatting and start sharing the instructions on how to make your own!

Materials:

• Porcelain dish
• Mulberry paper (for background; I used Calambour PAU 36
• Decoupage paper (flowers; I used Calambour CAL 95)
• Primer
• Decoupage glue (or Mod Podge)
• Acrylic sealer (clear)
• Acrylic paints (I used brown, cream and gold)
• Brushes, scissors…
• Optional: masking tape

First of all, I decided which area I wanted to embellish and delimitated it using masking tape. This is not mandatory, but it helped me moving around more straight lines. Knowing how clumsy I can be, I left the center of the dish empty, so that if any wax accidentally spills on the plate, it will not ruin the decoration.

You then need to cover with primer the surface you want to work on, so that the paint will stick to it. Once this coat is dry, you can sponge some acrylics in order to create background texture. I made 2 coats, the first with cream only and the second one mixing some 50% brown, 40% cream and 10% gold paints (see picture2).

After everything dried, I used diluted decoupage glue to attach the mulberry paper (previously cut by tearing the perimeter of the 4 stripes making up the sides of the decoration). I then removed the masking tape and defined the internal and external perimeter tracing lines with gold acrylic paint.

To add some extra interest, I cut out 2 flowers from the regular decoupage sheet and glued them on top (in order to get better adherence, you should dampen the designs before applying the glue). To protect the decoration, I covered everything with 2 coats of sealer.

I wasn’t 100% happy with the effect yet, as the different elements were not perfectly blended together. I then decided to take a couple of extra steps: first of all, I thinned some brown paint, until it got a watercolor consistency and applied it in circular motion with a sponge. This helped unifying the colors. I then added 3 coats of sealer, and used very thin sand paper on the flowers in order to get a more even surface…

And voilà! Here is my final creation! I think I will use it as centerpiece for Christmas dinner. I hope you like it!

Have a lovely day, and come back soon!

My Favourite parties: The Charm of Home - Dwellings - Between Naps on the Porch - Stone Gable - Coastal Charm - A Stroll Thru Life - Home Stories A2Z - Cozy Little House - French Country Cottage - Romantic home - The shabby nest

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Old wine glass or new candle holder?

Old wine glass or new candle holder? This is this Christmas dilemma… 

Today I want to share with you a new, quite clever creation. I admit it, the idea is not mine (ouch!), but I was inspired by Pinterest (see the original pin here). All you have to do is get a wine glass and flip it to make a candle holder. How simple and smart is that?

When I first saw it I was so impressed, that I literally ran to look for an odd, old wine glass and started working, personalizing the idea with crackle effect, decoupage paper, felt and burlap… Do you want to try too? Just follow the step-by-step instructions below and you can make your own original center piece for your Christmas table…enjoy! 

You will need:

• A wine glass
• A flat cardboard or plastic circle (I used a plexiglass sphere’s separator)
• Glass Primer
• Background acrylic paint (I used a gold color)
• Foreground acrylic paint (I used ivory)
• Crackle medium
• A Christmas image (I got mine from Calambour paper RP73)
• Decoupage glue (Mod Podge should be ok)
• Clear sealer
• Liquid bitumen (or any other medium that will give an antique look to the piece)
• Decorations (flowers, berries, ribbons…)

First of all, you will have to brush the outside of the glass and the top of the circle with (in order): glass primer, gold acrylic paint (2 coats work better than 1, see image 2 below), crackle medium, ivory paint (1 coat only, the second coat would not crack!), letting, of course the products dry between coats.

Next, I applied the decoupage image, using the appropriate glue and I let it dry, before covering everything with a clear acrylic sealer. I then centered and glued (using a hot glue gun) the glass to the circle. With a sponge I applied a very thin layer of liquid bitumen to the surface and, when it dried, I added some ribbons and flowers as decorations (you can see how to make the felted poinsettias in the beautiful tutorial here ...and maybe,  you will end up also making the stocking, as I did).  

And here is my final creation! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. For any questions, just leave a comment below.

Come back soon, and have a wonderful, creative day!

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My favorite parties: Under the Table and Dreaming -  Between Naps on the Porch - Dwellings - Creatively living - I should be mopping the floor - The Stories of A2Z -  Coastal Charm - A Stroll thru Life - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – Stone Gable - Cozy little house - Knick of time - Savvy Southern Style - From my front porch to yours
- The charm of home - Ivy and elephants - Green Willow pond - The Brambleberry Cottage - No Minimalist Here - Common Ground - French Country Cottage - Rain on a tin Roof - The dedicated house - It's so very Cheri - My Romantic Home

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Fall wreath

Hi everyone! 

Thanksgiving is approaching and I am sure many of you are looking for ideas to decorate their houses and make them even more beautiful and welcoming for their loved ones. While this holiday is not celebrated in my home country, I still love its warm, family feel, so in this period of the year, I usually adorn the house with fall inspired pieces. Today, I want to share with you the last one I created: a large autumn wreath, made with some simple supplies you can easily find at your local craft store. I decided to write some step-by-step instructions on how to make your own, hoping it could be of help for some last-minute inspiration. 

You will need:

• A willow (or wisteria) wreath
• Small synthetic fall-inspired bunches
• Orange/yellow/brown synthetic leaves
• Berries-decorated wire
• Burlap ribbon
• Hot glue

First of all, put your wreath on an empty table, allowing for some space around it and start playing with the larger elements (bunches and leaves) by laying them on it, without using any glue. Leave a small empty space on the top, where you will then attach the burlap ribbon (see picture 2 below). 

Once you are satisfied with the result, carefully take all the elements away from the wreath, placing them one by one all around the piece in order to keep the sequence of how you want to glue them (if you want to be totally sure you will get the same result, take a picture before removing them). Now, start sticking all the decorations to the wreath using your hot glue gun, beginning from the ones that will lay behind, in the background. 

I used glue mostly for leaves. For the bunches, instead, I preferred working with the wire: I inserted the bottom of the clusters between the wines and twisted the wire around them to keep everything in place. Then, I wrapped a berries-decorated wire all around the wreath to keep the pieces well in place. 

Last, but not least, glue a burlap ribbon on top. You can make your own by folding a strip of fabric and sewing in the center. If you want to prevent it from fraying, just brush some Mod Podge or any other clear-drying glue on the perimeter and let it dry before forming the decoration. 

And here is my finished piece. Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My favorite parties:  French Country Cottage - The Style sisters -The Brambleberry Cottage - Green Willow Pond - Common Ground - My romantic home - The Shabby Nest - Common Ground

 

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)

Romantic treasure chest

Hi everyone! 

As you probably know by now, little sparkling treasures are my passion: I love tiny earrings, colorful bracelets, elegant pendants…but all of these beauties deserve an adequate container to be stored in.

I already had a small jewelry box, but, of course, space for my little gems is never enough, so when my eye was caught by a beautiful mdf box at a craft fair, I couldn’t resist. Once I got home, I decided I would immediately turn it in a romantic treasure chest worth of holding my little creations, so I started working. 

First of all, I used some acrylic gesso which would prevent the permeable surface to drink all paint. Once the surface was dry, I sanded it and brushed it with a cream acrylic color. After about 30 minutes of drying time, I used a sponge to apply some brown paint (thinned out with water, in order to get a slightly transparent coat). 

Lastly, I decorated the piece attaching lace, ribbons and a cute heart charm. I then cut some small squares of felt, which I inserted to protect the bottom from any scratch. 

And here is my romantic treasures holder! 

Have a lovely day!

My favorite parties: Under the Table and Dreaming -  Between Naps on the Porch - Dwellings - Creatively living - The dedicated house - Rain on a tin Roof - Its So Very Cheri - DIY Showoff - The Stories of A2Z - Coastal Charm - A Stroll thru Life - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Stone Gable - Cozy little house  - Knick of time -Savvy Southern Style - Ivy and Elaphants - Green Willow Pond - No Minimalist Here - From my front porch to yours - Craftberry Bush  - The Brambleberry Cottage - French Country Cottage - Common Ground - The Charm of Home - The shabby nest - Romantic home - Sunny simple life - The cottage market

 

P.s. If you don’t want to miss any crafty project, remember to follow the blog by clicking on the “join this site” button in the right column ;-)