seashell wreath

Last summer, I found a whole box full of seashells at the Nashville Flea Market for $5. I've used them in hurricanes, etc., but knew they had more potential.

Then I found wreath forms at the Dollar Tree.

Madeline and I painted it out white
(so it wasn't such a big deal if there were gaps).

{Notice the blue star from a previous project :)}

Then spent the next couple of days working here and there, totaling a couple of hours to piece the shells onto the form, bit by bit. I used hot glue, but you have to be careful not to get the tip of the gun directly onto the wreath form. Other than that, it's just time.

And there's enough shells left to make about 4 more wreaths.
 I think I have a bad case of spring fever!

Make sure to sign up for this week's giveaway!

Posted at DIY Day

Chester & Donkey giveaway

There's just something about the patina of a great vintage find that nothing can compare to. Add in some great customer service and wonderful prices, and you have the perfect combination for a great shop - Chester and Donkey truly fits the bill! Jennifer has exquiste taste - like this floral teacup and saucer.

Isn't this aqua platter amazing? $10 - TEN BUCKS!

Uhh... my birthday is in just a few weeks if you were wondering.

Weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth?

Well Jennifer can hook you up with six of them for $15.

And one lucky reader will win a whole bunch of goodies from Chester and Donkey, including a pretty gold frame, floral plate and a cute little crochet coaster. It's a great start to a pretty vingette! Just leave a comment below! To add to such a beautiful giveaway, Jennifer is giving all my readers 10% off their order. Just convo her to let her know which items you'd like, and she will adjust the price. Tell her I sent you!
{The aqua platter would only be $9!!!! I am drooling over that one!}

This post is sponsored by Chester & Donkey

cottage coasters

There are some things in life that we need,
but we want them to be cute. Like coasters.

Two new styles listed in my shop...

I've been working on them a while, but love the final results.

Let me know what you think?

And the winners of this week's giveaways are....

Grace from Ruby Moon Designs won the Sweetbeaker giveaway

Desiree from Shabby Serenity won the decorative balls from The Country Chic Cottage

Wish you were here!

The Nester & Me

We're having a blast!

Transformation Thursday: Guest Post & Giveaway

Welcome once again to Transformation Thursday! It's the one day a week we come together to celebrate getting things done! Everyone is welcome to join in with MckLinky below!

This week, due to my Blissdom craziness, my friend, Jeanine is going to guest post. She is One Cheap B*tch - and I LOVE her for it! She is AWESOME!

Hi Shabby Chic Cottage followers! Gina graciously invited me to do a quick and easy tutorial on her blog. Quick and easy are two favorite words in my house - oh, and cheap too, of course! These vintage-inspired blocks are really easy to make and would look adorable on a mantel or shelf.

Once again I had some leftover wood blocks from another project.  Since I hate to waste anything, I decided to make these easy Paris blocks.  Here's how to do it:

Take random sized blocks such as these.  Using book paper or in my case, vintage hymnal music pages, cut the paper to the size of the blocks.  Easy!  You'll need five pieces (six if you do the bottom, I didn't).

  Next, glue them onto each block.  They should look like this:

Next, using Distress Ink (or you could probably use paint if you have a light touch), you'll want to rub it on all of the edges on each block.

Here's how they should look:

Finally, I used a variety of Paris-inspired stamps in red (Staz On ink) and stamped them on each side with the paper.

Voila!

See? Isn't she awesome?

While we're talking about friends, my friend Angie at The Country Chic Cottage is offering a giveaway! For one lucky participant, you will win these three decorative balls. Too cool, huh?

Soooo... whatcha got? I wanna see it - and so does everyone else! Just put your PERMALINK into MckLinky and make sure to link back here so everyone can find the great ideas.

Let'er rip, tater chip!