Let's have some F U N

Hi! I LOVE the look of the old marquee letters and signs with their fun round bulbs. They make you think of Broadway---who hasn't dreamt of having their 'name in lights' someday? They are fabulous as home decor but can be hard to come by and when you do, they are pricey! So I decided to MAKE my own and wanted to share with YOU so you too can have YOUR name in lights!!

 

You could do your name, initials or a 'FUN' phrase

 

My version doesn't light up, but makes for a fabulous, inexpensive option that you can DIY in an afternoon

 

We start by purchasing the paper mache letters you can buy at any craft or hobby store. I chose the 12" size.

 

 

Cut the top layer away with a craft or utility knife

 

Next---paint the letter inside and out with a color of your choice. (These look great in  a glossy red too.)

 

After the black was dry. I brushed a bit of gold here on there over the letters to give more of a worn metallic look.

 

Now comes the fun part----what to use for the 'bulbs' ?---why Christmas ornaments of course!

 

These are about a 1" size bulb. They come in so many color options. I chose the glittered white. It helps give the project more of a feel that it is actually lit up. This is the perfect time of year to start stock piling these little beauties. Plus, don't forget to grab some up in the after Christmas clearance sales too so you can make a bunch of letters!

 

 

Twist off the tops (save these for a project later!--I re-use everything)

 

Grab that glue gun! Place the glue where you removed the ornament tops and place inside the letters.

 

 

That's it! You did it! Imagine the words you could make, where you could hang them, the color combinations! I'm going to go make MORE!

 

Thanks for checking out my blog!

 

Be sure to follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/onevintagelane

and

Instagram at www.instagram.com/onevintagelane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Along!

Please be sure to keep up with the LATEST happenings at One Vintage Lane on FACEBOOK at

 www.facebook.com/onevintagelane

 

AND

 

INSTAGRAM at

 

 http://instagram.com/onevintagelane

Pieces and Parts

Looking thru my "stash" of goodies, I kept running into THIS old ceiling light fixture. I have been pushing it around my work space for MONTHS! Should I keep it, paint it, or pitch it? Well, since I pretty much NEVER pitch ANYTHING, I decided to take it into the shop and wait for inspiration to hit.

So, that day, a friend of mine decided that she was wanting to sell a metal dress form that she previously used to display her handmade scarves. I looked at it for what it was and THEN.... I saw it! I thought, wouldn't it be neat to attach something to the top?...like a bowl for twigs.....the idea was forming.

Maybe do something for spring?.....moss.....banners.....burlap.........ideas rolling now!  I grabbed the old light fixture and it FIT PERFECTLY to the top! Just like they had been waiting to be united all this time. Quick.....grab the wire!

 

Grab some candles.....some burlap.......

 

I tend to get this odd sense of panic when ideas start to flow.....like, HURRY, everything is going to disappear and you won't be able to create!! Hee hee! Do you get like that?

SO. Longer story short, a little wire, a little burlap, an old skirt from my stash, a mossy belt and VOILA.....

She is now a REGAL royal with her crown of candles! I love her!

 

I cut squares of burlap and tucked them in with the candles where the light bulbs used to go for a nice, snug fit.

 

I had this left over word banner that I made last spring and it fit perfectly inside the dress form.....serendipity I'd say.

 

 

Just THINK of the seasonal looks she can have all year round!

 

 

She is happy in residing at ONE VINTAGE LANE in Hartville with her other "dolled up" friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas at MY house

Welcome to MY house! Grab some coffee and make yourself comfy

 

 

 

It's Christmas time and I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things and vignettes that I have placed around the house. Everything from vintage to handmade to hand me downs. All these collected treasures make our house feel like Christmas

 

 

I am in LOVE with my vintage alarm clock collection and keep them all nestled together for a dramatic pop. My collection grows slowly and I am always thrilled when I stumble upon one in an unexpected place. Some I have grabbed at garage sales, others in thrift stores and there are the occasional few that I grab at specialty shops (and pay a bit more) because I can't resist their charm!

 

 

 I tossed in some of my collected vintage Christmas postcards and they stand proudly in my OTHER favorite collection, floral frogs!

 

 

 

Next would be my "hand me down". This fun wreath was my grandmother's and I cherish it. It finds a different place every Christmas, sometimes as the "star" front and center on the mantel, sometimes tucked in the tree. This year it hangs on a vintage window that I have filled with old papers and is in the rear entry so we see it every time we come and go. It always brings back floods of memories of Christmas with my Gram.

 

The tree in our home office sports our ever evolving collection of vintage carolers. I simply wire them to the branches and they "sing" to us as we get our work done :)

 

 

Some items that draw your attention or trigger a Christmas memory may not always 'fit' with your décor taste or style but could be added to a Christmas tree for a different twist!

 

 

Beneath the tree is another hand me down from my other grandmother. This vintage typewriter hold many memories and just like the wreath from gram, this piece always finds a new place to rest in my home. I have stuffed the roller and keys with ephemera and it is a statement piece all on its own.

 

 

This year I went with a white tree and love how it turned out. I dug through my stash of ornaments and chose those that were white, gray, silver with tiny pops of vintage blue. I am sort of an ornament hoarder and have done trees in all sorts of color schemes!

 

 

My mom made me this adorable snowman all in white a few years back and he just looks so happy in his new white tree this year! 

 

 

For those of you that know me, you know I have a 'thing' for suitcases! I finally wised up this year and will be storing all of my Christmas decorations in them! They have sat empty all this time. It will make decorating NEXT year so much easier and will clear up some space in the basement!

 

 

Collect what you LOVE, love what you collect and display it PROUDLY.

Tell YOUR story in your  home. Make your home your comfy nest.

 

Thanks so much for visiting! AND Merry Christmas to you ALL!

 

 

 

 

 

Chic Gift Bag Tutorial

With the holidays fast approaching you may find the need to a quick, chic, gift to give a friend! These are made from simple items you probably already have! Just a couple punches, a little glue, ink and a favorite rubber stamp and voila! A pretty package anyone would love to receive!

Here are the supplies you will need:

A simple lunch bag, a border punch, ink, rubber stamp, clothes pin and hot glue gun

 

Start by punching the open end of the brown lunch bag.

 

Border punches are great because they have a guide. Simply line up what you just punched with the printed design right on the punch and punch again. Repeat until entire top is punched.

 

Next, fold the top over. You can choose how far you fold this based on the size of the goodies you will be putting inside.

 

Now stamp the bag with your favorite stamp(s) to add some character. Stamp a little, or a lot. It's up to you.

 

For the closure, I chose to use a clothes pin that I adorned with a little bling. First I cut strips of a book page and hot glued that on. Then topped it off with a strip of bling. You can get creative here and glue vintage jewelry, buttons, etc on there for a different look.

 

There you have it! Now fill your bag with a candle, candy, baked goods....you decide! Quick, easy and oh so chic! Your friends are going to be impressed!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it inspires you to create a little something! Visit my facebook page too for more inspiration. Drop me a note, send me some pictures of what you create! I love hearing from all of you!

 

 

 

Repurposed Book Page Wreath

I just LOVE old books. I love collecting them. Using them in displays in my home and shop. I like using them to add height to a vignette. But even better.....I love to make things from them!

Especially the ones with missing covers. They are often tossed aside, thrown away and never appreciated...UNTIL NOW!

 

These look FABULOUS when added to your décor! Hang on your door, above the mantel.....you decide. I OFTEN get asked how I made them, so I made a little tutorial here for you to try your hand at it!

 

You start with a simple circle out of cardboard. I happened to have a stack of it, but you could use anything from an cereal box to the back of a notebook.

 

Here I just used a bowl I had to trace a circle. You decide how big or small you want it to be. Mine is about the size of a dinner plate.

 

When you are finished cutting out your circle, find a smaller dish to trace a smaller circle inside. Draw a big dot in the center (just eyeball this...its really ok).

 

Then make four hash marks around the edges at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock spots.

 

These are your "guides"---trust me, you want to take the time to do this step. They help guide you and ensures that your wreath comes out symmetrical and not lop-sided.....I learned this the hard way!

 

Now you begin tearing out the pages (remember you can also make these with sheet music too!) Then START ROLLING! You will roll each page into a cone and simply secure with a piece of tape--don't worry, it won't show once the wreath is put together.

You need to roll LOTS and LOTS of these. It is a great thing to do while watching TV. For my wreaths I end up needing about 50-60 cones :)

Now that you are SICK of rolling cones (hee hee). It's time to bring back that cardboard circle you make. Use the inner circle as your guide for how far these will go to the center and hot glue one cone on each of your hash marks.

 

Now simply fill in each "section" between your initial four cones with MORE cones. It should then look like the above picture.

 

 

 

Next, use the center dot that you drew as the guide for placing the top row of cones. Start by placing four. Eyeballing their placement at approximately 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock (like the first row but much closer together now)

 

Then proceed with filling in each section with cones!

 

When you get done with this layer, YOU can decide what to do in the center. You could go forward with another layer. For this next photo I folded my extra cones in half and hot glued them in "standing up"

 

 

Just keeping tucking and glue-ing until you get a look you are happy with.

 

Here I just crumpled up some burlap ribbon and hot glued it in and them glued in random bobbles and pearls.

Have FUN with it! Experiment, tuck, stuff, fluff.....just play. It is easy, just time consuming but in the end you will be PROUD of what you made :)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Be sure to become a follower to keep up with MORE TUTORIALS, Home Décor ideas and of course my shop ONE VINTAGE LANE in beautiful Hartville, Ohio. Be sure to visit my facebook page at www.facebook.com/onevintagelane