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A THRIFTY ROMANTIC DISSECTION

A few weeks ago, and with Valentine’s Day in mind,  I purchased a woman’s dated, boxy, dolman sleeved, three quarter length bright red leather coat at a local thrift store.  Doesn’t that sound romantic?  Just kidding.

No, I purchased it so that I could dissect it.  Now, doesn’t that sound romantic?

linda nelson at the createaerie

Actually, here’s the Saint Valentine worthy reason I bought it.

linda nelson at the createaerie

Not only was this a dissection and a repurpose, it was a fashion faux-pas intervention, too.  No woman should be walking the streets in a dated, boxy, three quarter length bright red leather coat with dolman sleeves.  Really.

Okay, moving along with St. Valentine and Cupid……

Who says you can’t repurpose leftover candy canes?  Sweet and silly, ha?

linda nelson at the createaerie

I perused the internet for free-to-use vintage images and printed them onto quality watercolor paper. Placed about, I think they’ll add just the right amount of sweetness to my home.  I’m partial to the framed one.  It’s just so adorable.

linda nelson at the createaerie
linda nelson at the createaerie
linda nelson at the createaerie
Here’s a twiggy little craft idea for you.  Clip some branch tips from a dead shrub, slap on a few coats of paint and bundle them up with fabric scraps and ribbon.

linda nelson at the createaerie
And, nothing makes a loving statement like a partially rusty scouring scrubby.  No, I didn’t use it on my pots and pans.  I stretched apart a new one, let it sit outside for a few weeks, then weaved a piece of floral wire throughout it so that it would hold a shape/form.  A little found bead attached as an embellishment, and another decorative bauble was born.
linda nelson at the createaerie

And, last but not least, the headboard is up!  The guest room makeover is officially crossed off the list. In my last post, I stated that I would share a bit of history about this headboard……  Long ago, before I was even born, it was a sliding closet door.  My dad(still before I was born) altered it to serve as a drafting table in his office.  Many years later it sat propped against a wall in my basement.  A few years ago it was dragged upstairs, and served as a tabletop in my office.  And, just yesterday it was dragged outside, lightly sanded, dry-brushed with some paint, lightly sanded (again), rubbed down with hemp seed oil and mounted onto the guest room wall.  I believe this door may have finally found a permanent residence.

linda nelson at the createaerie

Next re-do victim, my home office.

Stay tuned……………

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TWO HEARTS WARM UP A COLD AND SNOWY DAY

It was this time exactly one year ago that eastern Long Island, NY, was blanketed in over a foot of snow, and which didn’t seem to leave until the spring.  Not this year.  Last night we received our first honest snowfall; all of a mere, sloppy and slushy two inches.  Despite this laughable amount, it is a tad bit damp, raw and toe-chilling cold outside.

©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015

So that’s why I had to make these little decorative charms.  They may not warm up my toes, but they certainly warm my heart.  Multiple layers of deeply saturated hues of paint were applied onto glued together layers of corrugated cardboard, sanded down, then applied again.  A little bit of decoupage, some hand painting…… I had so much fun creating these.

©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015
They actually look quite delicious, don’t you think?

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DANCING WITH CARDBOARD: THE SEQUEL

©linda nelson 2015

I couldn’t help it; I just had to amuse myself by making this cackling little hen….,

©linda nelson 2015

the letter A (for a friend)……. and the heart charm.

©linda nelson 2015
©linda nelson 2015

The little book-style greeting card is for my friend, too.  Its little leather pocket holds petite poppy seed pods that I dried just this past year.  She can plants the seeds in her garden come spring.

Check out my previous post to learn how I dance with cardboard, then get dancing yourself.

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