Springtime Giveaway w/Barn Owl Primitives!

I'm very excited today & happy to announce our very FIRST giveaway, at  T Party Designs!

It's time to celebrate with our 

 

SPRINGTIME GIVEAWAY! 

We've got some sweet swag for you from 

Barn Owl Primitives & From Junk to JENius

Barn Owl Primitives has been one of my favorite Etsy Shops, ever since I found it! I was lucky enough to win one of their "Ah"-mazingly cute~ Keep Calm & Carry On, signs. Which has been a favorite saying of mine for a while.

I think I have four or five of them around my house!

Well, you are All in for a TREAT, because Kristi, the highly talented owner of BOP, is generously giving away a divine~

Medium sized, distressed,

 KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON- sign

 to ONE of our readers! 

But, if you are anything like me...

You're gonna want one of EVERYTHING from her shop! 

NURSERY SIGN

Not only are they adorable but, 

The quality of it is AMAZING

- thick solid wood

- durable paint job

- and get this...NO VINYL it is all PAINTED!!!

- vintage, distressed style

- complete with a hook for hanging

- the PERFECT size

-Great Customer Service, fun to work with

 Here is just a sampling of her work:

WEDDING ENGAGEMENT SIGN

BASEBALL SIGN

ALPHABET SIGN

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!  Since I'm in such a cheerful mood, I'll be throwing in a gift from T Party Designs', shop~
From Junk to JENius! 
I will be giving ONE of our readers a  
PHOTOGRAPHERS PROP PACKAGE ! ($50 Value) 

 Choose ANY 3- "Chalk-Bubbles" you'd like!

These are great fun for photo shoots, or just to have around the house! They also make a great gift. 

 Chalk-Bubble fun...

Here's HOW TO ENTER: 
(You can enter up to EIGHT times, 
leave a separate comment for each entry)
**Please remember-this contest is for T PARTY DESIGNS followers ONLY** 

1. Hop on over to  Barn Owl Primitives   & From Junk to JENius-- heart their etsy shop, while you are there take a look around. Come back and let me know the name of your favorite item! two entries.

2. Become a facebook fan of Barn Owl Primitives & T Party Designs. Where you can find out about their new designs, specials and giveaways!! two entries.

3. Become a Public Follower of T Party Designs BLOG. 
one entry. 

4.   Blog about this giveaway.  
(come back here & leave a link) one entry

5. Mention this giveaway on Facebook , Please mention "SPRINGTIME GIVEAWAY w/T Party Designs & Barn Owl Primitives"     
 (come back here and leave a link)one entry each.

Good Luck!!!
Contest ends on Sunday night, I will announce the winners on Monday morning.
 

 

Photo Prop -A Palooza!

Photo Prop -a Palooza! Wow, what a week this has been! I've been having such a great time with all my photographer customers! I'm getting so many amazing photos back with my Talk-Bubble Chalkboards in them. Using chalkboards in photography is a growing trend right now, and it's one that I love! So I just wanted to thank all my new photography clients, and I'll be doing a fun "SPOT-LIGHT" on them this weekend. They are just SO talented and I have to share ALL their work with you... stay tuned! 

Thank you to Myles Greggory Photography for these amazing shots!

Spring Cleaning, Fun Kitchen Cabinet Make-Over!

Spring time is such a great time of year! It's starting to warm up outside, but not too hot yet. This is also, the time of year that we attempt to get organized! Maybe some spring cleaning & finishing up some of your house project "To-Do's." Here's a quick & easy, Kitchen Cabinet Make-Over Ideas! Why not give yourself a whole wall of Chalkboard space!? With a couple of hours, and a small list of supplies, you can have a Custom Chalkboard, without a "custom" price tag!

KITCHEN CABINET, CHALKBOARD MAKEOVER

 

Supplies:

• TSP, or other gentle cleaner

• Good Primer like Kilz

• Edging Paint Brush
• Paint Pan, liner & roller

• Painters tape

• Can of Chalkboard Paint (There are so many colors available now!)

 **Check out Rust-Oleum Brand - Chalkboard Tint Base- 12 COLORS TO PICK FROM!

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Figure out what cabinet, or cabinet wall you'd like to use. * Consider the side of the kitchen island, this is a great space for the kids to practice their artwork, and you can keep an eye on them while you cook!** I chose a side cabinet wall, nice and long and a totally unused space.

• Give it a good scrub down with the TSP, this removes the built up grease, and any other grit on the area.

• After its dried a little, tape off any area you don't want to get chalkboard paint on.

• Put a nice layer of primer on, don't get crazy... you just need enough to cover the cabinets. 

Most primers need about 2 hours to really dry, depending on the time of year and where you live, this may vary a bit.

• When the primer is dry, you are READY TO PAINT! Have Fun, mix it up, maybe try a couple different colors, or paint a pattern. Whatever you choose, just make sure to let it dry in between applications, and do a couple coats. **Follow the manufacturers directions on the can. 

THAT'S IT! You can add some mouldings around it if you'd like, and maybe some fun sayings, vinyl lettering.

Quick, Easy & an Inexpensive way to add some unique personality to your space!

BEFORE

AFTER

My Photo "Prop" Chalkboard are a HIT!

Thanks, DEB! You are very talented!

I'm VERY EXCITED! 

One of my T Party Designs' ETSY customers, Debi who is a photographer, Dash of Photography, used my 

TALK BUBBLE chalkboards 

in one of her recent photo shoots. WELL... her photo with MY CHALKBOARDS was picked as

PHOTO OF THE WEEK by Paint the Moon Blog!

 One of my favorite parts of selling on ETSY is interacting with such talented & creative people. It's such a great community. I highly suggest you check out ETSY for really great & unique gifts!

 

UP-Cycle! It's FUN & Good for the Enviroment!

As most of you know by now, I LOVE to UpCycle, Repurpose & Reuse, Old items, that many others consider to be "trash!" I really enjoy the process & the outcome of taking something old and rusty, and making it into something FAB! With a little "vision" and "elbow-grease" WE ALL can do this, and it really CAN make a difference on the environment, and the amount of waste that goes to landfills. I actually did a little research on the topic and was amazed at what I found. So I wanted to share it with all my friends! 

Upcycling is a process in which disposable or discarded items are repurposed to make them valuable, useful, or simply aesthetically pleasing. Upcycling is designed to work in opposition to consumer culture, encouraging people to think of new and innovative ways to use things, instead of simply buying new consumer goods. It also benefits the environment, by promoting reuse over discarding whenever possible.

  

UPCYCLING VS. RECYLING~

Unlike traditional recycling, in which materials like plastic and paper are gradually degraded and can be reused only a limited number of times, upcycling turns waste into products of greater value. That offers hope for achieving the biggest goal of environmentally minded design, using materials again and again to keep them out of landfills. Supporters call it “closing the loop.” 

It’s trying to change that mind-set, so that people move from a disposable mind-set into a constant reuse mind-set. 

I've NEVER been one to ReCycle really or take the time to even learn the benefits of it. But I have learned A LOT from my Sister-in-Law, Lana! She has always been a big recycler, and the small things I've done in the past have been because of her. 

Now it's become a passion of mine! I just love the transformation of taking something from "trash to treasure!"

I also think it's an amazing way to teach our kids about the environment and "Doing our part" to help it. I wanted to share a couple of my latest UPCYCLE projects, these both came from old shutters, wood and other lil gems I found at one of my favorite Thrift Stores; 

Habitat for Humanity's -ReStore. You should check it out, it's kind of a Goodwill meets Home Depot! It's Fab!

Hope you like my projects, and I hope you try an UPCYCLING project of your own!