My Studio Gets a little Redo

Hello!

I'm sorry for such a long break in between posts, but I have had a project I needed to get done and my two younger kids were sick last week, as well.

While my husband was off of work between Christmas and New Year, I had him give my studio a fresh coat of white paint...

He also built me a basic shelving unit {entirely out of salvaged wood}, so that I would have some additional storage...

I wanted a place to hold all of my vintage crates, since I thought they would be great for storing supplies for my shop...

{This room gets amazing light all morning thanks to the large bay window}

I wanted this room to better serve as a photography studio, in addition to being the place that I pack all of my orders, so I brought the farm table from the family room that the kids were using for crafts in here {the family room is undergoing some changes too ~ more on that soon}.

I also reconfigured the garage doors to be together in the corner of the room, giving me a nice backdrop to photograph into.  I  flipped the doors around so that the "ickier" side was facing out, but I gave them a coat of grey paint and now I love them!

I had my husband nail a large branch to the top of one of the garage doors so that I could hang things from it.  He also helped me make small hanging votives out of small mason jars and wire.  I plan to add a few more branches, but right now the ground is covered in snow, so that will have to wait a bit :)

Simple but functional, what more could a girl ask for?!

:) Tracey

Colored Glass love

Good morning!  I'm finally back with a new post!  I have been trying to load pictures for this post for 2 days now, with no luck!  So I finally gave up and am using my husband's laptop to write my post.  Hopefully I will figure out the problem soon and be back on my own laptop {I am so not techy!}.

Today day I wanted to share with you a very simple idea, but one that I often use when I want an instant pick-me-up in my decorating...colored glass...

A great way to brighten any room, especially during the long Winter months, is to use colored glass.  It is especially pretty near a window where the available light will make the glass come to life.

Of course, these bottles would look wonderful with fresh flowers in them, but they are also lovely all on their own.  During the Winter months, when I don't have fresh flowers readily available from my garden, I like to set up small vignettes showcasing my colored glass pieces...

Here I took a Vintage French Bottle Carrier and filled it with a few of my favorite things.  Starting with these beautiful green beer bottles...

Since our last trip to Paris, my husband has taken to drinking the French beer Kronenbourg 1664.  Well, I noticed what a pretty color the bottles were and started saving them.  I do absolutely love vintage glass bottles...but I just couldn't ignore the appeal of these straight from the grocery store beer bottles.  Besides, they are French bottles after all, right?!  Ha :))  And you can't beat the price.  At any rate, I really like how the bottles have the 1664 embossed into the glass.


I also added a few of my favorite things to the bottle carrier, in addition to the colored bottles, just for fun...

{Antique French Letter Bundle}

I adore these little white latte bowls from Anthropologie and use then all the time...and the cafe spoons I picked up in Paris.

So, for a quick and easy pick-me-up in your Winter decorating, try using a little colored glass around your home!






Enjoy your day!!




Tracey

Creatively Made

Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!! 

My husband was home for 10 days over the holidays and the kids were off of school for 16 days, so it has been a bit difficult getting back into the swing of things this last week...but I am slowly getting back to blogging and photographing new items for the shop.

January is always a tough month for me, with the weather being cold and dreary, and with Christmas over, I usually have a real slump in the creativity department and can use a serious shot of inspiration...so that is why I am so excited that my good friend, Jeanne Oliver, has timed her new e-course, Creatively Made,  just right!!

Today is the last day to sign up for Creatively Made and it is also the first day of this beautifully inspiring four week e-course.  Here is a bit more information about it...

***To sign up for Creatively Made, or to get more information, go HERE***

I will be back soon.  Enjoy your day!  I've missed all of you!!

Tracey

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!  Blessings and happiness to you and yours!  Thank you for all of your support and encouragement throughout the year and for taking the time to stop by and visit :)

I will be taking a couple of weeks off from my blog to spend time with my family...see you in 2012!

Tracey

Painted Pine Cones, Orange Sugar, and a Cranberry Cocktail

Hi!  I intended to have this post ready last week, but there was a long stretch of dreary, no-sun days and I was unable to get any photography done...but Caighton and I busied ourselves doing various Christmas crafts!

I love to use these mini pine cones for decorating, as well as, table settings.  I have used them before in product shots for the shop.  I think they look so cute in tea cups and make for a unique place card setting that way...

So, for a variation on that, I thought it would be nice to paint some of the pine cones white and place them in my little vintage clay pots for a more Christmas inspired place setting.  Tucking a stamped paper doily below them, keeps the plate clean and allows you a spot to stamp your guest's name.

Caighton and I had a lot of fun painting the pine cones {you can add a dusting of glitter while the paint is still wet for a very pretty effect}...

Next up I made some Orange Sugar...

A perfect gift for someone who loves tea or iced tea, and it is super easy to make.

All you need is the zest of one orange for every cup of sugar you want to make...place the zest and sugar in a food processor and pulse for a minute or two to evenly distribute the zest among the sugar...Easy!  And the smell is heavenly!!

I transferred mine into these adorable canning jars I brought back from one of the kitchen gadget stores I came across on our trip to Paris...I also added one of my dried orange slices to decorate the jar...

Shake the jar once a day for the first week to keep the sugar from clumping.

I used the orange sugar over the weekend to make my Christmas Cranberry Cocktail...

All you do, is thaw some frozen cranberries and then combine them in a bowl with some of the orange sugar. 

Macerate for at least a couple of hours, gently mashing the berries every so often {depending on how many drinks you plan to serve, use about 2 tablespoons of sugar for every 1/2 cup of berries}

Place a scoop of the cranberry/sugar mixture in a champagne glass and fill with sparkling wine...

The bubbles from the wine will make the cranberries float and distribute the sugar.  It's a fun, festive, and not-too-sweet Christmas drink!  Enjoy!

I hope to be back soon with more Christmas projects.  My kids are officially home for Christmas break now :)

Tracey

p.s.  I wanted to let you know about the amazing Annie Sloan chalk paint giveaway going on over at Christie's blog, Carter's Cottage...here's what you could win ~

2 Fabulous pots of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

1 tin of Soft Clear Wax

1 tin of Soft Dark Wax

1 Ultimate Wax Brush

1 Glazing Brush

2 Chalk Paint Brushes

1 sheet of Ripple Cloth (for buffing)

1 Color Chart of all 28 Annie Sloan Chalk Paints

The Painted Kitchen Book

Creating the French Look Book

& Quick & Easy Paint Transformations Book

Prize value over $250!!

***Head on over to Carter's Cottage to enter!