Friday, September 4, 2020

Waving My Brush Around ........................... (Part 1)

Greetings dear friends & readers & Welcome to Spring πŸ’š
My absolute favourite season of them all !!


Thank You all So Much for your positive & encouraging comments regarding my Mantle in my last post - you are all such a kind bunch out here in blogland 😊

My neighbor has just delivered this sweet little dried arrangement for more pet feeding duties & it looks just perfect 
on my new/old mantle.

Seeing as it's not actually surrounding a fire like it's original purpose is - I wasn't sure what to actually put in front of my mantle

I found these vintage suitcases in my sleep out - left over from display props in my craft cottage.
I quite liked them stacked up together so an inkling of an idea was born  ..............................


I painted each one by the fire - what a faff of a job this was & Yes -  I had the furry supervision that I usually have πŸ˜‰
Originally I painted all 3 with cream chalk paint but I didn't like them all the same, especially alongside the 
cream mantle - very bland.


So I used the remnants of the Pastel Rose testpot (picture frame in my last post) & some leftover pale duck egg 
that had gone rather hard but I was able to mix some water into it.
I loved the combination of the 3 pastels together.  πŸ’•

I had ordered a new Re-design transfer from Paint Me Vintage & I thought the flowers would look pretty scattered across my 3 suitcases.

The cardboard swing tags are from The Joy Within - purchased on my last trip down to Mum's.


I even found an old original leather luggage tag that I painted & applied a floral transfer to. 

They are just the perfect size for under my mantle and the best bit of all  . . . . . . . . . .


. . . . . . . . . . I was able to fill them with my grandson's toys, books & puzzles thus doing away with 4 random
 baskets & boxes cluttering up scattered around my lounge !!



This narrow wooden shutter was also a purchase from Paint Me Vintage ... I gave each side 2 coats of vintage white chalk paint.


It is just the right width to sit on my mantle.
Yes I found some old fairy lights in a drawer last week & have wound these all across my mantle ... The Mr just 
rolled his eyes πŸ˜‰


Our small craft group were due to meet up at Maureen's.
The girls had expressed interest in learning to apply transfers at last month's meeting so I told them all to bring an opshopped item that they had painted 
Gail had ordered a couple of tranfers & we cut them up & worked out a price for each one - the girls had so much fun & said it was all totally addictive !
( Click on the pic's to enlarge & see them more clearly )
Gail had painted a small oval coffee table, 2 waste paper bins & a cute little wall cupboard

Maureen had painted a container that her husband had made her for their en-suite, & Sally had painted a rectangular op-shopped tray

I had hauled these 2 heavy ceramic pots out from under my house - I'm not sure who they originally belonged to but I emptied out the weeds & soil, scrubbed them & painted by the fire - a pale grey (leftover) chalk paint.

After applying a transfer to each one, I gave them 2 good coats of wax,  then planted them with some of my spider plant babies that I first started off in this post back in April



Thanks so much for staying with me through this lengthy post dear friends,
I will be back in a few days with "Part 2" as my paint brush has sure been getting a good work out lately !

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend - be kind to yourselves & to each other,
With much love & friendship to you All,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

22 comments:

  1. Oh! My! Word! Julie..Those suitcases are amazing..
    Love them! They look great! They really do...
    The furry ones look a bit bewildered to start with,
    but the colours, transfers etc..are marvellous....
    And..talking of transfers, something l've not come
    across over here, have to take a look on line, one
    or two things l've got that l could use them on..! :).
    PS..So glad you made one 'pink'..

    Love the ceramic pots..and spider plants are one of
    my favourite house plants, they grow anywhere don't
    they...especially in bathrooms..! :).

    Well Julie..your certainly on the 'case' in this post,
    great job done ALL round..
    Love Miss Pippi and Blackie..looking on..HeHe! Bless!xx
    ♫♪•*¨*•.¸πŸ”₯πŸ’›πŸ”₯¸.•*¨*•♪♫ ♫♪•*¨*•.¸πŸ”₯πŸ’›πŸ”₯¸.•*¨*•♪♫

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  2. Love your suitcases Julie, actually the bottom green one reminds me of my old school case, your doing a fabulous job on all your painting, can't wait to see what else you have done. Chris xoxoxo

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  3. Suitcases are a great idea and so practical for the toys. The flower pots are great.

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  4. Love the suitcases, they look fabulous. Ahh furry helpers, what would we do without them. The pots are lovely too. Hugs, xx

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  5. Pretty suitcases which look perfect for your mantle. I love the flower pots too. Lovely post Julie. Have a good weekend.xxx

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  6. YAY....'tis Spring....well at least the calender tells me so. =) The suitcases look rather spiffy in front of your gorgeous mantle, Julie; love those paint colours. Love those pots, too. How fun your craft group were able to join in the fun of painting and embellishing with pretty transfers. Enjoy a fabulous weekend, lovely Julie.

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  7. your posts are so pleasurable to read, looking forward to part 2

    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thanks so much Selina - I really appreciate the kind comments you always leave me.

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  8. The suitcases are perfect for that space and you get storage too - double win. Very nice work by your friends. xx

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  9. Another beautiful (and practical) transformation Julie, the cases look amazing and perfect for under the mantle and the pots look great too, they have a new lease on life. Lovely to see the furry ones supervising, although you have taken up quite a bit of their warm fire space!! Wonderful you could have a craft session with your friends, they created beautiful pieces.

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  10. Oh my.... your suitcases are just devine! Love all the repurposing by your friends too. Your pots look so lovely with their new occupants. Happy Spring to you to Julie.....love coming by for a visit xx

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  11. Hi Julie omg you are amazing my friend those suitcases are awesome and so pretty well done you are so talented. Oh wow you all did so well with the transfers everything looks so pretty,stay safe and take care my friend xx

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  12. Suitcases decorated with flowers instead of travel stickers, lovely. Until I saw the toys and books, I thought they
    were just resting in front of the mantel until you could fly off for a vacation! You and your friends certainly had
    a fun time with the transfers. many different items to use them on. Thanks for sharing. And your Spring will be my
    Fall. Enjoy.

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    1. Thanks so much Lynn - yes its funny how our seasons are always opposites. I am really pleased with the suitcases & the storage is just an added extra. No - no jetting off on holidays for me for quite some time I think. Have a great week Lynn & Hello to Precious. xx

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  13. How clever to make those changes and add all the special detail that just finishes them off... and dual purpose no less! The cases look beautiful and well done to everyone for their new look op shop finds....
    Hugz

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  14. Oh and I did laugh at the Mr rolling his eyes at the fairy lights... I can just imagine that (would happen here too!)
    Hugz

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  15. I like how you painted the suitcases slightly different.

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  16. You are so clever Julie!!!! These renovations look so good...just amazing in fact. Everything goes so well together....prettiness with a practical approach. I love the pots too. As you go into Spring we go into Autumn which officially starts on 21st Sept like the rest of Europe but here in Alicante the weather is very kind to us and it doesn't get chilly until the end of November approx. Sat safe Amanda x

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  17. Wow! Those suitcases look so fab! Perfect under the mantle. Your paintbrush is having such a fun time I can't wait for part 2. Your little craft group looks like they had a great time learning a new craft and such pretty things made. I am still quilting away slowly, Hannah is back at work and the husband is forever in his office working from home since the first lock down at the beginning of the year. It's been a funny old year.

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  18. Hi Julie! Wow! The suitcases are beautifully transformed and how fun to store toys and books in them! YOU are so clever, friend!

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  19. Beyond their visual appeal, embossed swing tags contribute to brand recognition and product differentiation. The distinctive texture and raised features make them stand out among other tags, helping consumers easily identify and remember a particular brand. Additionally, the embossed details can convey a sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail, reinforcing the perceived value of the product.

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