Best Bib & Tucker

Archive for the ‘Up-Cycling’ Category

Yesterday was a beautiful day to jump in the car and take a drive through the country.  Our destination was Mt. Vernon, a quaint and historic city in Knox County Ohio.
The downtown is full of fabulous, historic buildings.

Look at the balconies on this building that houses an antique shop.  I’m thinking the third floor should be my new apartment!

The main feature of our day was the Rural Society Antique and Garden Show at Warwick Farms.  You know you’re in the country when you turn onto a dirt road and your GPS no longer knows where you are.
But around the bend…
And it just kept getting better.
The displays of home and garden decor set up by the vendors were drool-worthy.
The farm and it’s gardens were beautiful

AND there were chickens!

Be sure to check out the Rural Society Blog for more photos, upcoming events, and other happenings on the farm.

Early on in the wedding planning process Em showed us a photo of a window pane being used as a seating chart.  We immediately went on the hunt for window panes.  Em lucked out and found eight of them at a garage sale.

They were beat up and paint was peeling off pretty badly.  Excellent, our distressing work was already done!  We just had to sand them down and give them a good coat of sanding sealer.

Windows were used for both the seating chart and on the cake table at the reception.

We printed all the signs we needed then cut sheets of scrapbook paper to the correct size.   Good old duct tape was used to hold everything in place and to prevent light from shining through the paper.

Other signs were placed in store bought frames.

Eat, Drink and Be Married- Bar Menu Sign

“Leaf” your fingerprint and signature for the bride and groom sign at the guest book tree.

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.  For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like to share our crafty posts on these link parties!

In keeping with a shabby chic theme, we used vintage china and other dishes for centerpieces.

Putting together 40 sets of these was an adventure.  Finding plates in the correct sizes that complemented each other was like putting together a giant puzzle.  Luckily we had a full army of people out looking for dishes.  Even a few of our favorite customers brought in pieces to us!

To make one centerpiece you will need:

• 1 dinner plate
• 1 salad plate
• 2 saucers
• bud vase
• glue dots
• hydrangeas

We stacked the three sized plates on top of each other.  The hydrangeas we had were very heavy so we used glue dots to hold the vase in the center of the plates so it wouldn’t fall over.  The second saucer held chocolates and a table number.

Table number stands were created by Slightly Hammered and Twisted Studio, one of the fabulous artists that sells jewelry and other creations at Best Bib and Tucker.




Sets of these dishes would also go great as actual tableware at a shabby chic dinner party or could be glued together to make tiered stands  as we demonstrated in last week’s Cake Plate Tutorial.

Need centerpieces for your upcoming event?
Contact us for rental/purchase information.
You can view all sets at Dish Disorder Centerpiece Rentals

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.
For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like sharing on these link parties!

Mason jars and lace…the perfect shabby chic wedding combination!  This project was ridiculously quick and looked really pretty on the reception tables.

For each luminary you will need:

• One pint size Mason jar
• Lace trim (about 1 ft- measure around your jar to be sure)
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive that dries clear
• Newspaper- use a new sheet for each jar
• 2 Ft Ribbon
• One flameless candle

Start by measuring around your jar and cutting lace to the correct length.  Let the lace overlap about a half inch.

We went outside for the gluing part.  Lay down newspaper to protect your working surface.  Be sure to use a new sheet of paper for each jar.

Lay down lace wrong side up.  Spray glue, being sure to cover the entire surface.  Then lay down jar and roll slowly to adhere without bubbles.

Let dry then tie ribbon around the rim.  You will need 2 ft of ribbon per jar.  Use a flameless candle in the bottom of each jar.

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.
For all posts visit: The Wedding March

We like sharing on these link parties!

Because Em had three cakes made for the wedding, we needed cake stands of different heights.  We had a tall clear glass stand, a shorter one made of milk glass, and the other glassware for chocolates on the cake table was pink.  In our antique store searches we came across a green plate that was the perfect size for the third cake! All it needed was a base.

To make your own cake stand you will need:

• One plate
• One candlestick holder
• E-6000 glue
• A book to hold candlestick in place while drying

Begin by cleaning both the plate and candlestick holder thoroughly.  Oily fingerprints will interfere with adhesion so try not to touch the gluing area with your fingers.

Place a generous amount of glue on both the plate and the candlestick.
Position candlestick holder on the plate and press together with a book to hold everything in place while drying.  Follow directions on package for drying times.

To clean use a damp rag.  Do not immerse in water.

Stay tuned…more info on all three cakes is coming during week 4 of The Wedding March!

We like sharing on these link parties!

The Wedding March is a series of posts highlighting my sister’s shabby chic DIY wedding.
For all posts visit: The Wedding March

Start by cutting across the t-shirt just under the arms.

Then cut 1-2 inch strips from this cut side up towards the hem.  Because you will be braiding, your total number of strips should be divisible by three. ( I had 27 strips.)

You can stop here and wear this as a fringe scarf or you can continue on to make a necklace.
Braid and knot the ends.
Roll down the hem then wrap the braids around twice.  Tuck in ends.  Repeat for all braids.

To finish the necklace off. Cut a contrasting strip from another t-shirt.
Tie one of the ends to one of the braid ends, wrap it around, then tie off on the braid ends of the next knot.

I finished it by sewing on a bow and a button that I had lying around my craft room.

Linking up at:
Craft-O-Maniac Monday
Embellishing Life

We saw this beautiful tree tutorial over at landeeseelandeedo.com  and just had to make our own.

It really just took scraps of material, a Styrofoam tree and straight pins!

We used a piece of a sheet for the pink one and an old shirt for the silver one.

See them on display at Christmas at the Hollow at Quail Hollow State Park tonight and Saturday.

Lately I’ve been seeing the cutest socks poking out of the top of boots.  We are all about giving new life to things we no longer use.  Back in my dancer days we used to cut the sleeves off of old sweaters to use as legwarmers.  I started thinking the same method could be used to give the appearance of socks, just leave them stretched out instead of scrunching them up.

You really just need an old sweater, a pair of scissors, and 5 minutes of your time.  Super cute, super cheap, and super easy!

Step 1: Find an old sweater.  I love the detail on the sleeves of this one- will make a great cuff!

Step 2:  Cut the sleeve.  I plan on wearing these with a pair of nearly knee high boots so I cut closer to the shoulder.

Step 3: Cut the other sleeve.  These cut ends won’t be seen so don’t worry about making them perfectly even.
Finished!!!
Turn the sleeves inside out before putting them on so the right side shows when you fold the cuff down.

Have more than 5 minutes?  Sew on some flowers