close-up

sorry this is a bit blurry

Here are my christmas stacking plates from last year, you can see the Fall stacking plates next to the Creme stacking plates, I was just putting the Fall ones away, since it was time for the Christmas look.

closeup

Hope this give someone some new ideas.

Next, in order to coat the bottles so they won't peel
too easily, I spray them with several coats of polyurethae
spray.

Next, measure out about 1/4 cup of mod podge.
Next, add 2 or 3 drops of white acrylic paint and stir.
Next, take a throw away glass jar to test with
and sponge a small area. Let it dry and then decide if it
needs more drops of white paint to get the look you want.

You want a sheer look but enough white so the sring of the lights is cammoflauged

Next, Using a soft, 2" paint brush....I quickly apply a thin coat over the entire bottle and then quickly use the brush tips to pounce over the entire bottle.

Practice on an old pickle jar or something first.
I do it fast so it won't dry before I am finished.

Let them dry 24 hours and then I seal with a glossy
waterbase varnish, like ceramcoat varnish.
Let that dry 24 hours.

Next I wrap raffia around the neck of the bottle
Next tie on a few grape leaves....cut from garland.
Next I run raffia thro the loop at the top of grape
stem and tie grapes onto neck of bottle.
Next I take several strands of raffia and wrap over
stems at neck of bottle once or twice and then make a bow.

Next, take 20 clear light string and push one blb at a time into back of bottle

Sal

Here is a link that might be useful: Painted Ladybug BB's - Pic

Details: The body is cut from a 1X12 piece of pine, the arms, from a 1X2, and the legs are a 1X4. (I rounded the edges on these.) The head is one I cut out of paper, because the one I had seen had a Jack-O-Lantern head and I didn't much like it. I drilled 2 holes in each end of the 'arm' and 'legs' then put them in 'place', and drilled holes in the body for the limbs. The whole thing is tied together with twine. At the bottoms of the arms and legs, I drilled holes and glued in raffia. That was another modification I made, the original had straw shaped pieces of wood, but I didn't like them, either.

His head is 8X91/2"
his arms are 7" long each section
his legs are 91/4"
his body 151/4"
Closeup of head:

  

Closeup of back:

  

Barb

I found two long door shutters just yesterday and can cut them into four shelves. I'd use a power painter to paint them. Also found four brown wicker chairs (pic later) and a coffee table. I just might fix them up and give them to my best friend Paula whose brother is building a wrap-around deck on her house. Or I might fix them up, new seats and covers is all, some cleaning, and sell them at a yard sale.

Simple ideas make the best, don't they. You're going to cringe and say no way, but I paid $50 for the shelf, yikes!!

Sal

Here is a link that might be useful: SHUTTER SHELF - PIC

Image link: POTM Sept (59 k)

Here is a link that might be useful: garden ladies