Inspiration Tuesdays: Mosaics

I love mosaics. Whether, glass, tile, found objects or whatever, I love seeing projects where people take stuff and make it special with grout (That's right, grout makes stuff special!). So today's inspiration comes from several mosaic projects that have caught my eye recently.

First is a twist on the gazing balls made from recycled bowling balls. But instead of marbles, Kathy Stantz, a contributor for JunkmarketStyle made this great ball using seashells and sea glass.

For a crazy good picture mosaic, check out vixenmeowmeow's street inspired art piece I found over at Crafster.org.

I love this wall fountain made with broken bits of china and a teapot by Diana Bodwell, a.k.a. pl8buster and found in her Flickr photostream.

Or how about this great tray from Vintage Butterfly 94's Etsy shop. I love that she used all the labels from the back of various pieces of china.

Well I don't know about you, but I'm sure inspired! I have a box of broken and chipped china and I've been meaning to do this kind of thing forever. Tonight seems like a good night as any as hubby will be "working late" (actually he works a couple of towns over and is staying to help with the food booth at the town fair. Read: drink beer.) But that's okay, it will give me time to craft messy and in peace. *Contented Sigh* I love when that happens.*

Happy Crafting!

*Don't worry, I'll show you anything I get accomplished (or whatever I come up with if it's not an accomplishment!) ;)

End of Summer Giveaway!!!

It's been forever since I've done a giveaway, so how about one for the end of the summer! Starting today until Labor Day (September 7th) at 5:00 pm, you can enter to win any one item in my Etsy shop priced at $12 or under. (Or $12 off any one item if listed for more than that.) Of course, your item will be shipped for free. But wait....that's not all! I'll also be sending a mix of various goodies to go with your one item. How do you enter? Go visit my shop and find the one item you would pick if you won. Then leave a comment here telling me which item you'd pick. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. One winner will be selected at random. Remember, you must leave your comment here no later than 5 pm, Setember 7th.

Happy Crafting!

Funky Find Friday: Art

I have always wished I had the talent to paint and draw. My father has that talent, as does my brother, but somehow it skipped over me. As such, I admire those who can do those things and I thought I would show you some art I've come across both on Etsy and Craftster.org that I especially thought was great.

First is this painting of mailboxes in Peacock Garden's shop.

I love the rual setting and the colors in this one.

I love, love, love the watercolor sailors by Kat Martin. This is one of my favorites.

Her Etsy shop Weigh Anchor is closed right now while she's moving, but you can check out more of her artwork on Craftster.org.

Does any one else have an unnatural obsession with Bob Ross and his happy trees? No, um..okay. Wait a minute...bonesaw over at Craftster.org just painted a Bob Ross inspired delight

Look at all those happy trees for the happy little squirels and birds to live in. *sigh* Check out bonesaw's original post (link above) for some great in progresss shots!

For a medium that's a bit different, milesapart714 painted Alice in Wonderland inspired clothing right on pages from the book!

Check out the post to see all the other great clothing she painted! Plus check out more artwork in her etsy shop, Limette.

Got some great art you'd like to share? Contact me through my profile on the right

Happy Crafting!

Inspiration Tuesday (Wednesday): Quick Tips

Okay, so I didn't deliver a project last week as promised, and I'm a day late with Inspiration Tuesday this week. I promise that I'm not ignoring you guys. Life at home and work has been crazy lately. I can't give you all the details yet, but I will reveal all in the next couple of weeks (I promise!).

In the meantime, let's get to today's inspiration! Today I thought I would give some quick easy things you can do with stuff you probably already have in your own house to decorate and switch it up a little.

Need a new end table? Why not use some books!

*Image from Real Simple Magazine.

Just stack up some of your favorite looking books and you have a perfect end table.

Want a unique planter idea? Use whatever you have laying around the house.

*All images from JunkMarketStyle

You can use old drawers, pots, pitchers, even wheelbarrows! The options are limitless for what you can use as a decorative planter. Just be sure to either create drainage holes or put a layer of rocks on the bottom to hold the soil up. Not so crazy about using some things as planters? Use them as a vase instead. If the object is water tight, use it directly. If not (such as a cowboy boot), then put the flowers in a regular vase that fits inside the object

Got a bunch of old cd cases lying around? Need some new art for the wall?

*Image from Country Living Magazine

How about trying this fun wall art project over at Country Living. It's a great way to recycle and spruce up your wall!

Turn your old Mason jars (or spaghetti sauce jars, we're not picky!) into lanterns like RKFELLA over on Crafster.org

What a fabulous pond! I'm jealous.

Well, that's it for today. Look at all the great things you can do with just stuff lying around your house! It kinda makes you want to go digging around to see what else you can find in your house, doesn't it? ;) Go ahead, dig away, I won't tell anyone!

Happy Crafting!

Funky Find Friday: Blogs!

Most of my Funky Find Fridays so far have featured items for sale on Etsy or stuff made by the fabulous peps on Crafster.org. For today's post, I thought I would switch it up a bit and feature some of my favorite funky blogs.

First up is JunkMarketStyle. If you haven't heard of Sue Whitney or JunkMarket by now, Google away! Sue's been featured in everything from Country Living magazine, HGTV and "The Today's Show"! She'd written several books as well. Sue has a great love of "junk" and repurposing that junk into unique furniture and home decorating items.

This is one of Sue's most recent projects.
More that just a blog, this baby is jammed packed with a blog, member sections where everyone can post their junky creations, and all kinds of project ideas. Plus you gotta love a girl who's almost every project is done with Gorilla Glue!

Next is Tearing up Houses. I've mentioned Kelly several times before. I can't get enough of her blog! She is a landlord, self-proclaimed real estate junkie, restores houses, and just generally has great insights that make you think.

Between the on going saga of counteroffers on a house, funny stories about tenants, her reoccurring series like "Pointless Poop" and "Say Anything" who wouldn't become hooked!

Another great blog I love is The Nesting Place. "The Nester" as she calls herself has a great motto: "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." Her blog is dedicated to that theme.

The Nester shows great how-to projects including her famous "mistreatments" for windows. There are always great photos of The Nester's beautiful home and great ideas for simply re-arranging the things you already have in your home.

My final funky blog (at least for this week!) is Thrifty Decor Chick. Sarah is a great designer, who loves "decorating on the cheap." She takes goodwill items and makes them fab!

Between a self-proclaimed obsession with molding, and spray paint tricks, Thrifty Decor Chick is a great place to go for ideas and tips to decorate your own home.

Have some funky finds you'd like to share? Email me: ehinders [at] gmail.com

I will be posting a fun little project either today or tomorrow for you just like I promised, so check in for that.

All blogs featured in this week's Funky Finds can now add a feature button to their site! Check it out over on the right column.

Happy Crafting!

*All pics are from the mentioned blogs. The images belong to them.

Inspiration Tuesday: Tiny Houses!

First off, I'm sorry that I didn't post Funky Find Friday last week. I've been sick latley and didn't get a post done. I'm making up for it later this week by posting a fun project for you guys so stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile, it's Inspiration Tuesday! I found myself enthralled yesterday when Kelly over at Tearing up Houses mentioned Tiny House Blog in this post. I looked at tiny cute houses for hours. So, today I thought I would show a few to you.

First up is this little beauty.

This railed specimen is built by a company called Cavco and is one of their available building plans.

Or how about this adorable eco-friendly house built by Simon and Jasmine Saville. (Does anyone else think hobbit home?)

This post actually had some great pics of the inside as well.

How cute is this house? I love it! You should read the story of its construction on Simon and Jasmine's website. I don't know if I could've put up with it, but their efforts certainly seem worth it in the end.

I'm totally jealous of Lorie Marie's tiny little studio. I wish I had a cute little house to make my creations in!

Visit Lori's store Pretty Little Things over on Etsy. She has fabulous stuff. Maybe if I was lucky enough to have a studio like hers, I could make such cute things too. (Although probably not!).

What to see more? Head on over to the Tiny House Blog and check it out! You'll be amazed at all the tiny houses over there. I am epecially amazed at how many people live in such little gems year round. Good for them! I could live in a tiny house....except I'm not willing to let go of all my crafting supplies! ;)

Happy Crafting!

*All pictures came from Tiny House Blog

Inspiration Tuesday (Wednesday): Mixing Design Genres

I love many different design styles. I love shabby chic, old world, Asian fusion, cottage...the list goes on. For today's Inspiration Tuesday, I thought I would show you some great rooms that mix different styles together in one room.

First up: a kitchen redo that mixes modern elements with more traditional elements:




*Image from Country Living

The island is a great example of modern meets traditional with a modern stainless steel top and a traditional bead board bottom. The black and white floors and lighting fixtures over the island add to the traditional/vintage look, while the couches, window shades and bar stools add to the modern side.

This living room from an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is another good mix of styles.

The furniture is modern Victorian, the lamps mid-century modern, the clock has the look of an antique. All styles nicely compliment each other.

Of course, some decorating styles just mix naturally well. Asian inspired pieces and contemporary ones such as in this living room on HGTV.com go well together.

The trim on the walls make it look like a shoji (yes I had to look up the spelling on this one!)screen and the contemporary furniture make great pairings.

What design genres do you love? Are there certain ones you mix and match? Leave a comment. I like hearing from you...while most of you anyway. Kidding! Love you guys! :)

Happy Crafting!