Sparkly Sea Urchins...

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Here's a quick little tute for you on this snowy Sunday while I wait for paint to dry on a dresser that I'm in the process of repainting... I have a pile of sea urchin shells... sans spikes.... that I'd collected while back home on various trips to Newfoundland...  and it hit me the other day to glitter them!...

No urchins were harmed... by me... in the making of these sparkly little treasures!... You see... seagulls pickup the live urchins from the shoreline... carry them up onto the marshy cliff tops and peck out the tasty morsel inside... EW!... the sun dries them out and BAM!... THEY'RE ALL MINE...

This one is another one of those easy quick little projects that you can bang out quickly... so quickly that you won't make it through one full glass of bubbles before you're done!... ;)

So there are a couple of ways that you can paint sea urchins... spray painting is one option if you have a large number to do... or with some craft paint and a soft paint brush... don't be rough with the shells... they are delicate...

For this project I opted for a very fine glitter and of a good clear glue... Check out what Martha Stewart has to offer... there is a lot of choice!... With a thicker glitter like the German Glass Glitter you would lose the details of the urchin shells... though it may be a neat look it wasn't the one that I wanted this time... 

Use a resealable container when you're glittering... this way you contained the mess sparkly magic while you're sprinkling... after the base coat of paint has dried lightly apply glue to the urchin... I brushed glue onto 1/3 of the urchin at a time... lightly glue then glitter... lightly glue then glitter... lightly glue then glitter... aaaand you're done!...

To test out this project I started with just two urchins and white iridescent glitter... they're pinky and green looking depending on the angle of the light... I'm whipping up a batch of these this evening for the Vintage with Flair sale this coming Saturday!... it's sooo close now!... 

I'm going to give them a spin in fine silver glitter... I'll post a few shots after they're done tonight... if you give this a try let me know how it works out!...

xo

Lacey

It's The Little Things...

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Sometimes a quick little project is a nice pick me up... not TOO much mess created... cleanup is easy... all materials are on hand... and there are no loose ends after you've cleaned up your mess (of fake snow)... 

 

Last night my little project pick me up came together quite nicely... I had many glass top jars on hand that I've been collecting now for the past while... gold ribbon... check!... fake snow... check!... glitter... check!... mini Christmas trees... check!... I was good to go!

After washing and thoroughly drying the jars I dumped in a little fake snow... you know that fake snow that looks like shredded plastic?... yep... that!... but just that by itself wasn't doing it for me... I sprinkled in a little Martha Stewart glitter and POP!... just the little bit of sparkle it needed... Then I dropped in a couple of trees... on with the lid and a little gold bow or knot and I had a collection of these vintage jar snow globes in no time!...  

You'll find these little vintage jar snow globes at the Vintage with Flair Christmas Market  in just a couple weeks time!... :)

xo

Lacey

Tipps Eve...

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It's Tipps Eve AGAIN!.. I'm sitting in my front living room with Ollie snuggling on my lap… he's biting at the toggle button on my sweater and purring up a storm… and he has stinky cat breath!.. I love him so… he is a sweet kitteh…

Everyone is still asleep… they better get it in this morning... and tomorrow morning because I'm a Christmas Day early bird… I'm still a little kid when it comes to Christmas… I wake up early and I just can't go back to sleep!.. I'm too excited for everyone to open their presents!.. hehehe… how about you?.. can you hold out?.. do you sleep in?..

I've glittered a few more items…

These shots look like plugs for Martha Stewart Glitter!.. 

That would be sweet… but they're not… just a few of my instagram shots of my newly glittered creations...

My parents made it here safe and sound… we braved the mall yesterday with my dad to start and finish his Christmas shopping… a few quick stocking stuffers and last minute grocery items this morning with my mom and we'll be done completely and finally ready for Christmas Day!.. well there is some more gift wrapping now… nothing major… Oh and I really want to track down some duck fat… I want to make these Jamie Oliver Smashed Potatoes (closest thing I can find to what I saw on the Christmas Special) on Christmas Day… which also reminds me!.. I have to take the turkey out of the freezer today to thaw in the fridge!..

Yesterday was pretty action packed… we also made a trip down to Longview for Chris and dad to get some jerky… and so that Mom and I could check out Pam's Shop… visit Pam at Wow and Then if you are even in Longview… and if it's in the winter she'll have some delicious apple cider brewing… it's amazing… check out this shot of an old antique cows head at Pam's...

You have to check out this video of Straight No Chaser… now stick through the first 30 seconds… I love this version of this song… it is so good that I bought it from iTunes!.. My fave Christmas song this year is The Christmas Waltz… Check out this She & Him version of the song… 

Have to run… everyone is up!.. Chris and I are going to pickup breakfast sammiches from A&W… om nom nom… what are your plans for this eve of Christmas eve?

xo

Lacey

Sparkle and Shine...

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Well... I've had most of these supplies for a good 11 months now… found thrifting… the Eiffle Towers… and gifted… the Martha Stewart Glitter was in my stocking last Christmas… some Furbear loves me!.. and the German Glass Glitter I picked up this past summer on our road trip to Spokane to check out the Farm Chicks!.. well it's hit me to put them together…

Experiment with different types of glitter… as you can see the German Glass Glitter… although its the fine stuff… is still rather chunky and makes a more rustic looking ornament… then Martha's fine iridescent glitter makes a more sleek sharper looking ornament...

It was very easy… all you need is a small paint brush… heck a q-tip would work even… some white clear drying or clear glue… or modge podge… even spray glue would work… though I suspect it would get quite messy and then sparkles would be stuck to everything around you… stick to a brush and glue!.. brush it on lightly… then sprinkle your sparkles!.. 

Sprinkle your sparkles over a container or piece of paper so that you can pour them back into their container when you're all done glittering… oh and don't goop on the glue… you only need a thin layer… now if you go too thin it'll dry really quickly… trust me… it's easy and you'll figure this all out rather quickly… perhaps do a practice piece first to make sure you get your technique down and then you'll be sure to get the results you want!.. 

I did this quite a few years back with some small plastic animals… there isn't much cuter than a gold glittered turtle… really the possibilities here are endless!.. so bust out that glitter and show me what you got!..

xo

Lacey

This is too fun not to share… link party time!..
My Romantic Home
The DIY Showoff
Coastal Charm
DIY By Design
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
French Country Cottage