Ribbon Roses

When I first came across these satin hand made roses I was struck by how lovely they were and how real they looked and immediately wanted to try to make my own. The only ribbon I had to hand was an inch wide which was half the required size but I was eager to try it right there and then so that's what I used.  It was quite tricky to maneuver the small sized ribbon but eventually I got there ending up with this small sized rose...

I will be making bigger versions of these lovely ribbon roses once I get some 2 inch ribbon stock and I will be posting details on how its done, so keep a look out on the blog.  Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Bye for now

Jewellery Box - Painted & Découpaged

Those of you who follow Funky-Junk on Facebook or Instagram will already have seen the transformation of this little jewellery box but of course I want to make sure that all my blog followers get to see it, so here you go.

As you can see from the pics below (scroll down), it was just plain wood to start and needed a little life added.  I started by painting the exterior all over in beige, two coats of chalk paint did the job and it was ready for découpage. Inside the box I first used a pink paint as a base and then went ahead and découpaged over it with a lovely pink floral napkin by Carolyn Donnelly.

I knew I didn't want the exterior of the box the same as the interior but wasn't sure what look I wanted.  I dug down deep into my stash of napkins (I have hundreds!) and found a lovely one that I had been given as a gift.  As you can see it has a vintage oriental look which really suits the box (I had already used one of these on a plaquette in an earlier post - see it here).  Once I had decided that this was the one, I mixed some green paint to match the colour of the bamboo in the design and used it to paint the sides and the borders.  I didn't think the borders looked good in green so changed them to gold and I'm so happy that I did as I think it really sets off the look.  The flowers on the sides were cut from the napkin and then découpaged on.  I finished it off by sealing it with wax and giving it a good buffing.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions I can be emailed using the form on the right hand side of this page or you can comment below by clicking on the Comment link.

Bathroom Decor

If you're a regular visitor to Funky-Junk you will know that I recently revamped my bathroom using little more than a some chalk paint.  If you missed the posts you can see them by clicking here and here.  After all the hard work on the floor was done, a few accessories and some wall decor was needed to replace the items that had been removed and I thought it would be nice to make a couple of plaquettes for myself (for a change). I had a beautiful floral vintage design napkin that was given to me as a gift and some of the flowers were orange - a perfect match for the bathroom and I was looking forward to using it for a découpage project.

First, I sponge painted the base of both plaquettes with two different shades of orange chalk paint.  I then découpaged one of them using the napkin with the orange flowers.  For the second plaquette I used a mix of napkin and paper découpage.  The Edges were given a distressed finish and a few coats of sealant were added.  Topped off with some green velvet ribbon, they're just what was needed as a final touch.

Click to make bigger

Click to make bigger

Click to make bigger

Festive Swing Tags

I love swing tags - don't ask me why but I just have a liking for them.  You may remember my post last month on the Découpaged Swing Tags that I decorated.  Today though I am going to show you my idea for some smaller sized Christmas themed swing tags which are very easy to do and are a novel way to present your Christmas gifts.

You will need some small swing tags, glue, a small short bristle paint brush, a pencil, and some glitter in a few different colours.

Draw a picture or design on your swing tag, nothing too complicated, the more simple the better.  As you can see from the photo, I drew Christmas trees, baubles and a star on mine - all simple designs. Paint the shape carefully with the glue using the paint brush, making sure to get right to the edges and keeping the outline even.  Sprinkle with the glitter of your choice gently tapping off any excess and leave to dry.  For more precise shapes use a template such as a coin for the bauble outline or you may prefer the more natural look of freehand.  I think they're cute and will look great on this year's Christmas presents!