Mantelpiece love - Cheap decorating

Hey all,
Hope you are all well and staying dry in whatever part of the world you're in.
I seriously think I need to start building an Ark...this rain is just relentless!!

First of all...I'd like to announce the winner of the lucky lady that left a comment on my Scrap FX Blog Hop post...it is....

LAUREN!!

 So Lauren...if you could please email me at tisher_6@hotmail.com(no au) I will pop your prize in the mail ASAP.

I haven't drawn the lucky winner of my February competition I had running yet but that will be in my next post...so stay tuned.

Today I just want to share another happy spot I have in our house that I just love looking at...that cost me next to nothing to dress up.

It's our mantelpiece above the fireplace.

It's one of the focal points in our lounge room so I wanted to dress it up a bit...on a budget.

If you recall my last post...I upcycled the gorgeous old vintage clock which takes pride of place on the top shelf of the mantelpiece along with a wooden FAMILY sign and my collection of T's (the initial of our surname).

The bottom shelf however posed a little bit more of a problem as everytime I put something there my husband would deem it a fire hazard. I really wanted something pretty and something to fit into the FAMILY theme I have going on there when I came across the black frames you see. 

They were a set of 6 and the patterned paper you see in them was already there. So...instead of putting photos in them I simply put black vinyl Thickers in them to spell out the word FAMILY. 

Too easy! 

The set of frames cost me $5- from a discount store and I already had the letters at home but they cost around $5-6 dollars a packet so not a budget breaker.

I'm also a hopeless collector of vintage doilies and have an absolute barrel full. I'm always looking out for things to make with them so made this cute doily and burlap Shabby Chic banner to hang on the mantelpiece.

I love how this all looks now that I've hung the Home Sweet Home frame above it all:

The white really brightens up the dark wall beautifully.

So...here's another budget 'brighten up a corner in your house' idea for you.

Sew up some cute banners, upcycle something vintage and hunt around for some sweet little frames to play with.

It really doesn't have to cost a fortune to make your house a home.

Until next time,

Sharryn

xx

Scrap FX Blog Hop - FAIL!

Hi all,
Firstly, I must apologise for my lack of absence in the Scrap FX Blog Hop!
Unfortunately I became ill on Wednesday afternoon and spent a couple of days in hospital so missed the start of the Hop :(
The girls have all gone ahead as planned though and by now I hope you've been hopping around their blogs to check out the amazing techniques and projects they have created.

If not...here is a list of the girls blogs...simply click on the name to take you to their blog.
1. Michelle Logan 
2. Bellaidea
3. Kristine  
4. Michelle H
5. Misty
6. Rachelle
7. Scarlett
8. Scrap FX blog

Please be sure to read through the instructions carefully as there is a fabulous Scrap FX prize for those that play along.

Now I want to share what I made for the Scrap FX Blog Hop.
Lately I've been doing a lot of furniture restoration and upcycling of old, vintage findings.
A while back I found this old clock...I've wanted one of these FOREVER!
So I thought what better technique can I do for the hop than sharing an upcycled project using Scrap FX chipboard!

I got this old clock very cheap I thought I'd have a play and turn it into something pretty to sit on our fireplace mantelpiece.
Here's what I started with:

It cost me all of $5-.
To be honest it had me stumped for a while as I wanted to keep the original wood and shape.
So...I simply started by painting it white and once that was dry I gave it quite a heavy sanding to reveal that lovely old wood underneath.

I also wanted to retain the metal circle housing the numbers so I took the original hands off and measured the circle. I then adhered vintage music sheet paper to the centre and layered it with a vintage doily, some die cuts, some gorgeous FWAB pearl flourishes and some pretty flowers. Instead of replacing the original hands I painted and inked the awesome Scrap FX Steampunk Corner Hands that I added white brads too...to continue the metal look.

Once I was happy with the focal point; the face of the clock, I concentrated on either side. I created a cluster of embellishments similar to the face on the left side of the clock, again using die cuts, pearls, flowers and chipboard. In this cluster I've used the elegant Woman Cameo and a bird from the Birdies pack.


I wanted my clock to have a 'family' theme as this is what I already had on my mantelpiece so I came up with a bit of a play on words. I used the beautiful Family stencil layered with another bird from the Birdie pack and the word Time.

 

I just adore the way this old, vintage clock has turned out. It's exactly what I had in mind. Even more, I love the fact that I could showcase some of my favourite Scrap FX chipboard pieces on it.

Sometimes you really need to think outside the box when decorating and upcycling for the home. Who knew you could turn such a plain, boring, vintage clock into a gorgeous Shabby Chic time piece?

Next time you're considering restoring or upcycling a project...why not consider using your scrapbooking supplies on something you never thought you could. I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I love my clock.

Although my blog post is not 'officially' counted in the Scrap FX Blog Hop this time around, I'd love for you to leave a comment just to let me know you stopped by.

I'll have my own little Scrap FX prize for one lucky commenter.

You have till Tuesday midnight, EST.

Thanks for hopping by,

Sharryn 

xx