About Rustic Crafts & Chic Decor
Welcome! I’m Renee Hanlon and the crafter, decorator and DIY-er behind Rustic Crafts & Chic Decor. In my earlier life, I worked in Accounting but gave that all up to stay at home to raise my wonderful family.
Besides enjoying all of the aspects of parenting and homemaking, I also came to love decorating and creating various crafts. I especially love decorating with vintage accessories and flea market finds. At first it was out of necessity. When we were first married, we couldn’t afford a lot of new furniture and home decor. Luckily, we were given lots of antique furniture and heirlooms that we repurpose and use in our home. I quickly found that these items had a quality that you just don’t find in some of the newer accessories. Plus, they added such a sense of nostaligia and character that I have continued to incorporate vintage collections into my decorating style for added warmth. You can find many of my ideas on my Vintage Decorating page.
In conjunction with my decorating passion, I also love the home construction process – especially the design! In 1993, I acquired my builders license so that I could effectively be the general contractor for the new home my husband and I were building for ourselves. Plus, having a builders license allowed us to get wonderful contractor discounts – oh yeah!!! Check out some of my Building Tips I picked up along the way!
Working on craft projects became a natural extension to the decorating that I loved to do. Then, in about 1998, I went into a craft business selling primarily birch lamps as well as other rustic crafts. My husband crafted the lamps and I decorated the lampshades and made all of the accessory crafts to sell. We went around to various arts and crafts fairs throughout the state of Michigan as well as selling our items to some rustic decor stores. A job change for my husband and relocation ended my business and I focused on decorating another new home.
I also enjoy writing and in 2009 I began to write “hubs” or articles for Hubpages. I wrote on various topics, including decorating, under the author name of Songbird. It didn’t take long to realize that I had a passion for writing about my decorating experiences.
At the end of 2010, I decided to launch this blog as my outlet for my craft and decorating addiction. My main focus in on crafts and decorating projects that incorporate vintage accessories, flea market finds, junk decor, recycled materials and natural elements. You will find tutorials, tips and ideas for decorating your home in a rustic and chic style. Many of my finished craft projects and vintage accessories can be found at my Etsy store, The Rustic Attic.
To keep things exciting at our house, in 2011 my husband and I built a cabin in Northern Michigan—- completely ourselves! ….with a little help from some great friends of course! So, I also share some of our great experiences in building, unique design choices and ongoing decorating ideas.
Along with tutorials, Rustic Crafts is also a resource for finding crafts supplies and craft room organization ideas along with recipes and business help.
You can also find me at Something Borrowed Wedding Blog where I share inspiration, tips and diy projects for weddings and at Super Fun Kids Crafts.
All of the wonderful feedback that I get from readers, inspires me to do more. I love throwing new ideas or tutorials out there when I know that it has been a help to somebody. You can subscribe to this blog through the RSS feed, email subscription, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linky Followers, or my newsletter.
Thank you for visiting the site. I appreciate any comments for feedback or suggestions you might have for unique craft items. I hope you enjoy browsing through as I continue to develop the site!
Thanks for stopping by!
‘I can do all things through Christ who stengthens me’ Phil. 4:13
Love this site. Thank you for the inspiration. I do the similar things.
I’m glad you like it Vesna!
I like your site.
Do you carry other people’s items, or only your own?
Thanks
I’m glad you like it, Mark. I currently only carry my own items and that is just through my Etsy store, The Rustic Attic.
Very nice site. Very creative.
Keep up the good work. It’s fun to see all the ideas and inspiration.
Thanks Barbara! I’m glad you like it.
Any ideas for making a birch twig ceiling with lights? We have a coffee house and want to do something, inexpensive, but WOW!
Hey Judy, I’m envisioning bundles of birch twigs wrapped together with a jute twine and made into a long garland. Then attaching these to the ceiling in some sort of pattern (like rows) in a bit of a drape. You could have pendant lights hanging from between the rows of birch garlsnd. Depending on the size of your coffee house, that may take a lot of twigs though.
Otherwise, just cutting larger birch branches, with lots of the small twigs attached, and adhering these to the ceiling, with small finish nails, might be cool.
My husband made a birch chandelier to go over our pool table which you can see here: http://song-bird.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Craft-A-Whimsical-Lampshade
You could also run white Christmas lights through the birch twig garland.
Hey Renee…I just love your site! Thanks for the compliment on my window. I linked up with your party. I see you are from north Michigan?? I am from southwestern Michigan, by the lake. Thanks for stopping by my blog and I will frequent you often.
Hi Tiki,
Lucky you to be by the lake! We used to live near Holland and now are on the East side but our cabin is in Northern Michigan
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I am incharge of our homeschools Thanksgiving Feast Gathering. I am looking for inexpensive ideas for centerpieces for the large wooden tables. Year before last, I made the flower pots look like pilgrim hats and inserted donated mums. Last year, donated mums and wrapped with pretty paper tied with rafita. This year, key word, still inexpensive, any ideas? I thought of glass jars with paper, made to look aged with a nice scripture, tied on with rafita. Not sure what to put in it. I don’t seem to have a problem getting nurserys to donate mums, which is why I lean towards them, and give them away as the families leave. Any thoughts are greatly respected and appreciated. May the LORD bless you and your family…
I really like the idea you came up with! Aged paper with scripture is perfect for Thanksgiving. If you can’t get the mums, you may want to fill the jars with something like cattails. If you can find an area where you can cut them yourself, it will be free. The best time to cut them are between late August and October.
The cattails are an awesome idea, never thought of that! You are a genius! If I cut the cattails in August or October, do you know how long before they start looking sickly? I woud but them in a bucket of water but wouldn’t want to cut them too early, not sure if they react like a cut flower? Thank you for taking the time to be helpful to me, you truely are sweet.
You can actually dry them by hanging them outside and then spraying them with either hairspray, acrylic spray, or polyurethane spray to give them a protective coating. It takes about 72 hours or so, depending on the weather, to dry them. I have some that I dried over ten years ago and they are still in good shape.
Awesome…. thank you again, for sharing your time and talent!
You know how much I love your blog, Renee. So I nominated you for the Sunshine Award! Come over and check it out, createdinawe.blogspot.com
Renee, just thought I would drop you a line to say how lovely your blog is and having read your info about your own personal story I see great similarities. I am also passionate about crafts (which I teach in the UK)and home decor and having bought a pretty English cottage. I am renovating each room with recycling, repurposing and hand crafts….living by the river also gives great rewards. I hope to be able to take inspiration from your ideas and will update my blog with progress. My problem is time…not having enough!
Thank you for your inspiration and I will follow with great interest.
Debbie