Rustic and Refined Interiors

I found a new, wonderful store in Waterdown, Ontario, that sells repainted furniture:

 I paid them a visit, introduced myself and explained that I loved to redo furniture and would they be interested in taking some of my pieces. One of the owners, Bobbi-Lynn, asked me to email her some pictures, which I promptly did when I got home. I got a reply saying they were impressed and willing to take any and all of my pieces! I'm thrilled beyond words! I'm looking forward to a long, successful working relationship with them.

They sell more than furniture, as they also take in many different items handcrafted by local artisans. I love the whole concept of the store and their philosophy on upcycling rather than discarding.

Here is the link to their website, so you can view everything they sell.

www.rusticandrefinedinteriors.com

I also made jewelry for a while and tried to sell it on Etsy, but there are so many other jewelry sellers on Etsy, my sales were rather slow. So I mentioned to the store owner that I also made jewelry and she asked me for pictures. After viewing the pictures, she asked to also bring in the jewelry so she can take a look. It would be great if they decide to sell it, as I would love to get back to making jewelry during the winter months, when it's too cold to paint in the garage, lol!

Here are a few pics of my jewelry:

 If you're ever in Waterdown, Ontario, drop by Rustic and Refined Interiors and say hello!

Nicole
xxx

Upcycled Paper Bags and Greeting Cards

I always save nice shopping bags. I'm a bit of a hoarder that way. If they're in good shape and not creased, I like to reuse and repurpose them. It's a shame to throw them out, some of them are very good quality paper, with satin ribbon or rope handles, perfectly reusable.

Same goes for greeting cards. People spend so much money on greeting cards, which get a quick glance, then get forgotten.

So I thought to myself, self, reusing these bags is good for the environment and it helps save money. It's a win win! Since these bags often have a store or company logo though, I thought of reusing greeting cards by cutting the back part of the card and covering the logo with the front part. 

De tout, de rien

De tout, de rien

De tout, de rien

I try to use a card that is proportionate to the bag's size and compatible in colour.

De tout, de rien

De tout, de rien

Add coordinating tissue paper, a gift tag (these can also be upcycled from cards) and here we are!

De tout, de rien

These are perfect for teachers' or hostesses' gifts, or items that are awkward to wrap. Of course, you don't have to just make them at Christmas. You can repurpose birthday and Valentine's day cards and any other occasion.


This is also an easy craft to do with children. Enjoy!

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