Spring has sprung and it is time to change up my chalkboard! I know we have been seeing chalkboards for a while now in home decor, but I am still crazy about them! When they became “all the rage” a few years ago I fell in love with using them as decorative accents, but I figured their popularity would be short lived. Instead, creative decorators and crafters are continuing to come up with new designs for chalkboards using drawings and gorgeous hand lettering techniques. Old furniture pieces, windows, mirrors, and all sorts of fun junk can be transformed into beautiful works of art with the simple addition of some chalkboard paint.
Top O’ the Friday mornin’ to ya! It’s Saint Patrick’s Day and time for the “Wearin’ O’ The Green!” On my blog it’s the “Sharin’ O’ The Green!” I love my Celtic heritage and I enjoy creating vintage vignettes using green for the holiday and spring. Since Easter falls in April this year I have had a chance to add a few little St. Patrick’s day touches around the house before going full out with spring and Easter decor. I used to buy a lot of fun commercial decorations when my boys were younger and made leprechaun traps, but now I just use what I have around the house to add some festive green touches. There are many creative ways to create vintage vignettes using green without spending a lot of money. I have discovered that many of my blogger and Instagram friends also decorate by using what they have, and today I’ll be sharing some of their photos along with some of my own to give you some ideas. Take a look!
Are you intimidated by faux flowers, wreath making and floral arranging, or are you an old pro? It was only in the last few years that I really started crafting and decorating with faux flowers, and I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed when I decided to start making wreaths on regular basis. One day, out of nowhere, I decided I was going to be a “master wreath maker,” so I headed to the craft store thinking I would just luck into some perfect combination of materials. I almost always find something amazing on my junkin’ adventures, so I thought surely the flower shopping would be no different. I normally avoided the “tacky-fake flowers” section however, so I was shocked at how gorgeous and realistic faux flowers had become. And there were too many to choose from! I realized I just needed to use a method of design that has always worked for me in the past, which is to base my creations around some sort of decorative item or accessory.
I am a junkaholic. Or at least I think I think I am. I love a good rummage sale and prefer to spend my free time on the hunt for anything vintage. My previous blog and IG name, “Junkaholics Unanimous” was a play on my addiction to junkin’ and being proud of it. On my blog I called for all vintage junk addicts to proudly unite along with me, and many did! One day I was discussing the ideas for my new blog with my dear blogging friend Olivia at Reinvented Collection. She has a stunning blog and gorgeous French style. She has been such a blessing to me as I have jumped back on the blogging horse and I truly value her opinion and expertise.
We were discussing whether or not to keep my old name on Instagram and other social media accounts when I launched Follow The Yellow Brick Home. Out of nowhere she said, “Amber! ‘Junkaholic’ does NOT represent your style!” One thing about Olivia—she is a straight shooter!
What? Why? How? Junk IS my style. I love anything chipping, rusty, crusty, old…junky! Olivia is in Alaska, so she hasn’t had the opportunity to see my collections of jars of antique marbles, vintage buttons, and mismatched game pieces, hoards of vintage pearls, or stacks of antique post cards curated neatly around my home. Neatly. Yikes! So maybe I am not be a hoarder? I might be having a crisis of identity!
After listening to her reasoning I began to agree with her. I love to go junkin’, but I really do have a more brocante and shabby-French Farmhouse style. I don’t have hoards of rusty metal and salvaged wood piled up behind the garage (anymore). Inside the garage is a different matter…
Let’s take a look at some of my recent finds that support Olivia’s opinon.