Welcome friend! I’m Renee – a child of God, wife, mom and grandma who happens to love crafting and designing. For the most part, I am very frugal – if you don’t count the occasional splurge on a great pair of shoes! Typically though, I find it very difficult to pay full price on anything. Because of that, I love to create on a budget using things from nature or repurposing what I have.
My biggest project, with the help of my handy husband, was a complete home renovation which was no small feat. We gutted the entire house, reconfigured it and made it like new. I never had so much fun with a sledgehammer! Of course, the redesign was the most rewarding part.
When I’m not creating something physical, you can find me playing around in Photoshop designing patterns and graphics for fabric and home decor items. I then sell these designs at Spoonflower, Society6 and my Etsy shop, Twig and Tweets.
Besides creative things, I also enjoy Bible study, writing for Parade, walking, fishing and boating.
Because I love collecting antiques and creating things so much, I also enjoy selling them (cause I really can’t keep everything!) at flea markets and craft shows. It’s always such a good time talking to the people who come into my booth and visiting with other vendors.
Besides collectibles and homemade decor, I have to throw in some of my pillows as well. Normally, I only sell those in my online stores.
What You Will Find On The Blog
Rustic or Farmhouse Style Crafts For Home Decor
Unique DIY Projects
When we built our cabin, which is now our permanent home, we incorporated some unique ideas that were budget-friendly and gave a rustic chic feel. For example, pickle-staining plywood walls provided some rustic wood grain that was still light and airy. And, sanding the OSB flooring and then finishing it off with several layers of floor polyurethane (Varathane) gave us a very durable and warm rustic look.
Repurpose Projects
Before buying any new home decor, I like to look at what I already have to see how it can be tweaked. My favorite project was taking a modern-looking vase and painting it to look like birch bark to use at our cabin.
Craft Business Tips
For several years, my husband and I made birch lamps and decorative shades to sell at various arts and crafts fairs throughout Michigan. It was a great experience where we learned a lot about shows, how to best set up a booth and what items were the most popular sellers. I have also sold crafts, antiques and repurposed items on Etsy and currently sell pillows, phone cases and prints with my designs with the help of a POD service.
Inspiration
Because you never know what the day is going to throw at you, a little extra encouragement is always helpful. I like to share Bible verses, inspirational quotes and soothing activities that are uplifting in the midst of trials.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Thank you for visiting my blog. I appreciate any comments, feedback or suggestions you might have.
Hello Miss Renee, this is great site. I love rustic and herbs. Currently I am in real estate in Ohio. I would love to teach and blog and sell. May I impose and ask if there is a tool, blog or site that hits most of what I need to do for all of this? I am the head of the household and have little start up money. Continued good luck on your ventures and any advice would be a blessing! 🙂
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
You know how much I love your blog, Renee. So I nominated you for the Sunshine Award! Come over and check it out, createdinawe.
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!
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!
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.
Any ideas for making a birch twig ceiling with lights? We have a coffee house and want to do something, inexpensive, but WOW!
Keep up the good work. It’s fun to see all the ideas and inspiration.
Thanks Barbara! I’m glad you like it.
Very nice site. Very creative.
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.
Love this site. Thank you for the inspiration. I do the similar things.
I’m glad you like it Vesna!