A Musical Desk { Before & After }

I was a music major when I started college so I had lots and lots of sheet music on hand.

This was right about the time I discovered Mod Podge, so you can probably guess what happened......

I decoupaged sheet music on every surface I could think of.

My first college apartment looked like a music library had exploded and sheet music had been plastered onto nearly everything in it. (This was also during the height of my leopard print / jungle craze, so it was more like a music library exploded in a jungle).  

Anyway, I finally grew out of that phase, but now I suddenly feel like I'm reliving my college days after my little desk project last weekend.

I bought this desk a while back and it's been sitting in my dinning room while I tried to decide what to do with it...... then it hit me!  I should revert back to my old ways of Mod Podge and sheet music.

I rolled on Mod Podge (I used to use a paint brush in the past, but I've determined this works much easier) and then started layering on my music and then layered on about 3 coats of Mod Podge on top of that.

After the Mod Podge dried I sanded the edges and corners to make it look a bit worn.

The desk will stay on the wall in my dinning room.  The room is small so whenever I use it I just pull over a chair from the table, which isn't often since I normally work with my laptop in the recliner or on the desk in my studio/office.

I threw some random things on it for now,  I will probably change out how it's styled regularly like I do everything else in our home.  But right now what's on it includes one of my Great-Grandmother's blue heaven platters,  one of my new coffee filter flowers and the pen that was used for the guest book at my wedding.

The dinning room is one of the rooms we have completely remodeled and I think it may be officially "finished" for now.  I will have full before and after pics of the room next week.

Also, do not forget to go by our Facebook Page and "Share" this photo for a chance to win everything in it!  The winner will be selected on Saturday.

I'm linking this post up at some great blogs.  Click Here to see who they are!

Taking a Break to Paint..... { & a giveaway }

I recently told you I've been working hard getting ready for my large Fall shows. 

My studio is a mess, but it is a beautiful colorful mess full of glitter, tulle, feathers & beautiful fabric trimmings scattered everywhere. 

I was hard at work on hair pieces a few nights ago when I had the sudden urge to get away from it and paint something.  

Do you ever feel like that?  To keep my creative mojo going I sometimes feel like I need to break away from what I've been doing and play with something different.

I picked up this wooden heart shelf at Goodwill last week for $2.  It was just plain brown wood; I didn't even think to get any before pictures.  I painted a hot pink layer, then a layer of white paint strongly diluted with water and rubbed off the white as it was drying.

Then I added some little  whimsical designs in a couple places.

I may sale this at my Fall shows or it may go in Felicity's room.  I don't know.  I didn't have any intentions for the use of it when I painted it, I was just having fun.

After breaking away for a bit I was able to get back to "work" and I designed some new felt wool hair treats that I just love. 

These were so fun to make - just looking at them makes me smile!

I will sale the sweet treats above at my Fall shows.

These below are listed in my shop now.  Use discount code "welcome2012" to get 20% off.

Oh, and in case you haven't seen it on our FB page, I'm having a GIVEAWAY!

Go to our Facebook page and share this picture from the top of our page and you will automatically be entered to win it all.

Playing with Dishes & Sipping Tea

A couple of my nieces were visiting last week and while I was cooking some Dutch Babies  they decided we should have a quick impromptu tea party with our food.  

I'm all for the opportunity to play with my dishes and make fun little table arrangements so I was all in. 

We had a very short amount of time so we quickly gathered some dishes, including my new and vintage Fiestaware and vintage pyrex cups and saucers and set the table.

 

I truly love my dishes.  I've collected them since I was in college.  The colors and bold patterns of all my pieces make me so happy.

 

 I also love mis-matched colorful dishes, don't you?

I am developing a bit of an obsession with candle stick holders as well.  I keep coming across cute ones and thrift stores and yard sales and I just cannot resist the urge to scoop them up.

Unfortunately since we were in such a hurry I didn't get many pictures other than these few I shot before our food and tea was finished, but we had a fun little time sipping hot black tea with milk and fresh dutch babies.  

I also wanted to share one of the newest additions to my shop.

This pink & zebra feather headband can be made to fit all sizes from newborns to big girls

Oh, and while we were taking our pictures some friendly little creatures swam up to visit....

You can use discount code "welcome2012" to get 20% off this new headband and everything else in the shop, including our clearance items.

{ SHOP } www.InspiredByFelicicity.com

Monday afternoon update: You can go to our Facebook Page & share this picture and you will automatically be entered to win all of it. (The only rule is that you have to be a follower of our Facebook page)

Easy to Make Hair Bow Holders

We've been busy around here getting ready for one of my favorite things about Fall..... Craft Shows!

I love everything about the large shows; waking up early and arriving before daylight, setting up fun and unique displays, getting to meet new and old customers face to face and of course meeting many talented creative exhibitors from all over!  My dear husband gets dragged into helping with most of my shows.... unfortunately I don't think he enjoys it as much as I do (actually, I don't think he enjoys it at all) but nonetheless, he's always willing to help.


{ Speaking of craft shows, I am so in love with this display idea from Lynn Minney Designs! }

Anyway, one of the things I've been working on for the upcoming shows is hair bow holders.  These are so easy and so much fun to make I thought I would snap some pictures and share my process with you.

All you have to do is fix up something cute with ribbon hanging from it to snap the bows onto......

Above is Felicity's bow holder.  This was super easy to make:

1) In the Wal Mart craft section I bought this oval shaped unfinished wood that already had the hooks on the bottom of it.

2) I painted the sides of the wood pink

3) Decoupaged the front with leopard print fabric

4) Added a cute flower to the top

6) I glued on some letters bought in the scrapbooking section at Hobby Lobby

7) On the back I hot glued long strips of ribbon (to hold the bows) and a cute trim at the top to hang the bow holder by.

The bow holder above was made from the same unfinished wood piece with hooks already attached.  

But on these I painted them with pink dots, then decoupaged on letters cut from paper.  Then I added a flower and feathers and some other little embellishments.

You can't see the glitter really well in the pics but I gave these a little spray of Krylon glitter spray that I bought from the spray paint section at Hobby Lobby.  

Everytime I spray glitter on something it makes me smile!

  

For this last style I again bought unfinished wood and then painted it, decoupaged on some pretty paper and letters and then added some little painted designs on top of that.  This also has ribbon hanging from the bottom to put the bows on.

You can also make hair bow holders using wooden letters.  I made this one below for my niece a couple years ago.  I bought an unfinished wood letter, glued some strands of ribbon onto the back and then painted and embellished the front.

These are so fun to make and can be perfect little personalized gifts for someone having a baby girl.

Anyway, if you haven't checked out our Clearance Section you might want to do so!  We have lots of beautiful designs marked way down.  You can use discount code "welcome2012" to get an additional 20% OFF your order (the discount works on both clearance prices and regular prices items).

Crib Shows on Clearance for only $7.20 with discount code:

Pettiskirts for only $13.20 with discount code:

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Glam up a Dry Erase Board....

Every time my nieces come by they always want to help me make something. 

 They think of my house as the place to come "Do crafty things" or have tea parties. 

 I love that because I hope maybe when they are grown they will be able to look back and remember fun times at Aunt Pamela's house.

One of the little girls was spending the afternoon with me this summer and was asking if she could paint something.  

So I went scurrying about the house trying to find something she could paint when I remembered this old dry erase board the previous owners had left behind in the kitchen.

We tapped paper towels over the actual dry erase board and I let her lose with some pink paint.

After she was done it stayed in the garage for a while and a few nights ago I finish decorating it (my niece had went back home to another state so unfortunately she wasn't there to help).

I used Valspar Antiquing Glaze to fill in the little line on the frame and streaked some here and there on the frame and rubbed it down.

Then I just glued a black boa around the outside and topped it off with a quick bow.

I thought it was pretty cute considering it was FREE!  

*didn't have to buy the actual erase board and everything used in decorating it was leftover from other projects)

Also, remember that we still have lots of things in the clearance section of the site:

Here are a couple of the recently marked down pieces....

 

Pearl White Feather Headband: Only $7.20 with 20% off discount code "welcome2012"

Lace leggings in black, pink and white: Only $8 with discount code "welcome2012"

Large Funky pink & lime bow: Only $11.20 with discount code "welcome2012"

I'm off to get to work, have a great day!