2016 Best Nine....Vintage Christmas for the Win!

Long time no chat!

My blog posts have become infrequent

since joining Instagram 2 years ago.

It's easy to see why, when many creations

and happenings may not seem "blog-worthy"

but perfect for Instagram.

So rather than show you a long

stream of photos,

Here is a 2016 Best Nine collage

of my most popular posts on Instagram

last year.

Clearly, people LOVE vintage Christmas.
I think it has everything to do with nostalgia.
We are clamoring for things that remind us
of childhood Christmases.
And no arm-twisting is required to
encourage me to create with vintage elements,
so expect to see a lot more of that this year.

Although there is a vast array of social media options out there,
I immediately appreciated the beauty and simplicity
of Instagram. I would love it if you joined me there,
where I post regularly with my original Creations,
Junking Treasures,
adorable Animals from my Pet-Sitting assignments,
and some Nature thrown in.

Visit me on Instagram Here:
@MagiaMiaEtsy

Christmas Crafting with Bottle Brush Trees Galore!

It's Christmastime, so you know what that means....

It means that I'll be inspired and compelled

to create non-stop, well past Christmas.

It's just how I roll....

So, without further ado, here's what I've been up to.

Available in my Etsy Shoppe. Link in Sidebar.

Trees on handcrafted Spools

With S&H Green Stamps & Lotto Markers

With Milk Bottle Caps, Bingo Cards, Handcrafted Berries

With Bingo Cards & Lotto markers

With Milk Bottle Caps & Handcrafted mini-cube stands

And Lots of Dye Colors

Next up.....Repurposed

Creations with old Shiny Brite boxes

and Scotch Tape Tins!

Join Me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

Instagram

Where I Share Creative Ideas, Treasure Hunting Loot,

 Furry Pet-Sitting Clients,

Nature, and More

Handmade Halloween Putz Houses

It's that time of year again!
Halloween is in some ways as magical as Christmas to me.
This year I was able to produce 3 Putz houses
instead of just one like last year.
To some, that doesn't sound noteworthy at all,
but when these are made from scratch, without any die cut machine,
and so many details are put into each one,
it's a lot.

This time I took a picture of them at their humble beginnings.

Each house is designed and cut by hand,
with no use of a diecut machine.

Hand-cut siding is applied one piece at a time.

Painted solid black as basecoat to enhance dry-brushing topcoats.

Handmade Paperclay stones.

Finished!

The tree roots are created with a glue gun,
then painted to match the tree.

The Paperclay landscape stones are painted
individually in multiple colors.

This is a Witch's Cottage, with handmade broom,

stick fences, and bonfire stick/stone pile.

All 3 are now available in my Etsy Shop.

View the listings on my sidebar

for many more pictures and details!

Kitty-Sitting, and....Wait for it.....More Dairy Milk Cap Spools!

It's getting into the busy vacation season,

which means I'm getting into the thick

of critter-sitting!

This week I'm petting my little buddy Charlie.....

She's such a love and a great personality.

I'm always delighted to spend time with her.

Last week, I shared my spools I created 

using vintage milk bottle caps and Bingo cards.

Everyone seems to love them as much as I do.

After a very lengthy search for just the right red Bingo cards,

I've come to the conclusion they don't exist.

So I dug through my cache of ephemera,

and low and behold, I found a delightful alternative!

Check these out!

Don't they have a cool Toile quality about them?

Thanks to vintage play money!

And I'll say it again.....
Upcycling is so rewarding!
For these spools, I used 2 vintage milk bottle caps,
a strip of unattractive Bingo card for the tube,
and vintage play money!
The only thing new was the glue....;)

So give that old ephemera the new life it's waiting for!

Join Me on Instagram!
@MagiaMiaEtsy


Linking To:

Dog-Sitting, Dairy Milk Bottle Caps, and Bingo Card Spools

Yep, I've been dog-sitting again......

Cutie Pie #1

Chicory

Cutie Pie #2

Beignet

And just when you thought I was done creating
decorative spools using Bingo Cards........

When you love old graphics as much as I do,

you find a way to create with them as much as possible.

Dairy Milk Bottle Caps are graphics perfection

because so much art is printed on a tiny space.
The added virtue of this craft is using vintage materials.
With so much old ephemera out there,
it's a way to Upcycle them, giving new life to a nostalgic item
and rescuing it from the landfill!

But really. Why stop at spools?

It's Spring, so that means peat pot crafting!

Since I sealed the whole pot, I thought they'd be cute lined with 

parchment for mini cookies or candy. 

Of course the obvious would be a starter plant for transplanting, 

or a mini flower arrangement 

if you added a water-tight container. 

I reinforced the holes for the wire handle.
To cover the drainage hole, I cut a thin square 
of chipboard for the inside, 
and a thick one for the base to also help it stand steady.

Well, that's about all for now.
More ideas up my sleeve though.......

Join Me on Instagram
@MagiaMiaEtsy

Linking To:

Dog-Sitting, Peat Pots, and Berry Baskets

Yes, it's been awhile since I last posted. 

Here's what I've been up to this time. 

Dog-sitting this little imp.

Maisie

Creating Spring/Easter treasures for my Etsy shop.

Last Spring I produced a few of these chicken wire nest baskets.

I love the design, but I thought it would be fun to create them in a different color. 

Moss green makes me happy. 

And rather than stay with German glass glitter for the eggs, 

I opted for Bronze mica flakes from Meyer Imports.

A great bold, yet sophisticated effect.

And more feathers is always a good idea.

I also decided to make twigs by wrapping thin wire, 

bending it into shape, then painting it. 

Real twigs are so fragile and I didn't want
to worry about them breaking.

The final touch was creating a bow using this luscious wired 

French Ribbon in an antique Moss green.

My other creations involved playing with vintage
wooden berry hallocks.

I bought them a while back, but hadn't come up
with a good design yet.

Finally figured it out. All I needed to do was
craft handles by twisting rustic wire.

Just for fun, I thought I'd give them some age,
using the rusty vinegar method.

Some of them turned out darker than I wanted,
so I decided to paint them 

with sheer coats of mossy green. 

Finally, I accented them with thick crepe paper bows and 

Spanish moss, which I hand-dyed for just the right tints.

Up next?
My rustic creations using old-fashioned milk bottle caps!

Join Me on Instagram
@MagiaMiaEtsy

Linking To:

Dog-Sitting & Creative Craft Display with Bingo Cards

What I've been up to lately......

Dog-Sitting

Chickory

Beignet

Mocha

Organizing Craft Supplies

including drawing my own labels.

Creating spools for Dresden
and trays for tiny supplies
using vintage Bingo cards

Crafting more for my Etsy shop

and Crafting of larger spools,
this time making them to double as boxes!
Will I tire of crafting with Bingo cards?
Hard to say, but I'm having fun right now!

Join Me on Instagram
@MagiaMiaEtsy

Linking To: