Yay!
I am so excited....
I finally got a REAL fantle!!!!

• What's a fantle?
• A fake mantle, of course!

We have lived in this house for eleven years, and I have NEVER had a mantle....
Since I am not smart enough to know how to attach a mantle to a brick wall, it finally dawned on me that I could make a fake mantle by attaching a plank to the bottom of two old shutters! 
I found some old shutters that were the exact right size, and screwed the shelf to the bottom. 

Ta-da!
 Done!

So easy.....
I am not sure why I never thought of it before. 
I am going to have so much fun decorating this shelf, ... er.... fantle, for the different holidays and festivities....

If you remember the pictures from the mint green Grandfather clock, you will have noticed that I avoided the area to the right in the photo's.....
That is where this ugly fireplace sits....

Well, ugly no more!
I painted all the brassy material black, and I like it a lot better...!

{I must admit, the shelf is somewhat skinny:  I can only use it for little items....
But I was afraid a bigger shelf would get bumped, and things would topple.....}













Yay! 
I finally got a REAL fantle....
I am so excited...!

Linking up with these terrific blogging buddies ....

It's finally done...
This clock has been siting in my living-room, unpainted, sanded-down, and ready to go for a LONG time!!!!

Finally I drug it into the garage and got started...
The problem was, I didn't know what color or style to paint it....

How did I end up with this clock?

I had been looking for a grandfather clock on Craigslist for a long time, but never saw one I liked...
They were all too square-ish.

So one day I walked into the thrift store, and there it was.
The exact shape I was looking for....
BUT....  It was more than I was willing to pay...
AND it had some issues, it needed some minor repairs...

Talked to the manager.  Was not willing to negotiate on price...

So I just stood there.....
A LONG time...
Twenty minutes, thirty, I don't know....
My daughter  was getting tired of it and said:  "Let's go Mom!"
But Mom wouldn't budge....
That's when I knew I HAD to buy it....

I couldn't part from it...

Isn't that terribly materialistic of me?

After thorough sanding and cleaning, I painted the clock with home-mixed green colored self-fabricated  chalkpaint....
Then I added a brown glaze that my neighbor just gave me from her stash last week {she was moving out of state, and couldn't take it with her...  Thanks Michele!  Enjoy your new adventures....!}.

Anyway, I'm super happy with it, and I can't wait to finish the rest of my half-finished projects so I can show off other areas of my house....

Some more about this clock on this link

Linking up to my Bloggy friends right here

I've had this cute little red highchair around for a while to keep me company in the house... She holds a plant for me, or provides a seat for a favorite pillow or stuffed animal.  My sock monkey is especially fond of this seat....
Yesterday I was having a wonderfully relaxing hour or so, sitting on the couch, thumbing through some of my favorite old magazines, when I noticed that I had a highchair JUST like in the picture of a super fun magazine from last year:  FreshStyle, Simple Ideas For Creative Living, Summer 2011 {a Southern Lady Special}.

Soooooooo, today I made a look-alike display using that red high chair.  It's not an exact copy, but I had a fun time playing around with some of the stuff I had laying around...
It's so fun to play.....

• Instead of citrus art, I displayed a lemon wreath.  Instead of a green door, I used a green something that has been on our property ever since we moved here ten years ago...

• A little vase with some flowers from the yard...
• I have vintage spools somewhere, but I think they are on loan, so I used the colorful glass jar with mini-billiard balls instead. 
  
• A little yellow frame at the top. 
  

I know, it's not exactly the same, but you get the same vibe, right?  Good times!

So, do you think my highchair would win the look-alike contest?
Linking to:  Coastal Charm, Vintage Wanna Bee, Tip Junky, not JUST a housewife, A Stroll Thru Life, Stringtown Home, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Serenity You, HodgePodge Life, RemodelAholic, chic on a shoestring, Romantic Home, Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, Craftionary, what about.co, Brambleberry Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Serenity You, Sassy Sites, Coastal Charm,

Independence Day for the USA is celebrated on July 4th, which is just around to corner, so I thought I would take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy 4th.

So grateful for all the men and women who have sacrificed in the past and still sacrifice today to ensure our freedom...

All the above items are for sale, please follow this link for more info....
Linking up at
I<3NapTime, It's Overflowing, Nifty Thrifty, Positively Splendid, Tutu's and Teaparties, Serenity You, Just Us Four, create craft love, two sasters, happy hour projects, tatertots and jello, craftionary

I painted a 1950's gossip seat in my favorite color:  seafoam green.  Seafoam green was my favorite color when I was a child, and it still is....!!! And it certainly is making a come-back!!!!  Lucky me....
I love it!
Added some flowers and bird on the front and one on the back.. Super cute, if I say so myself.
I you are interested int his piece, it is for sale ....  I have a tendency to paint more furnishings than I have room for in my house....  Oops!

Just let me know if you're interested... 
{I would love to sell it locally....}

Have a terrific day!
Crystelle

What.....??!?!!!????
Crystelle Boutique is going out of business?????
Well, yes and no.....

After some considerate consideration {lol!} it has become time for me to slow down a bit with my Etsy shops and spend more time on the everyday Mom stuff....
I am a lucky girl!  My husband has worked hard in order to be in a position that his children can have a stay-at-home mom....  And what does mom do?  She spends all her 'free' time listing, selling and shipping Etsy products....  Hmmmmm.....
So I decided to 'quit business' so to speak, and get with the program....






The Vintage Market we held last weekend was the kick-of to my Etsy clearance sales.....
It was a HUGE success.  Lotsa  people came, lots of old faces were warmly greeted, and new friends were made.    We drank lots of lemonade {thanks kids!!} and good times were had by all.... 

And so many people said:  "This is so fun!  You should do this every year!"  Well, let's just say: I would LOVE to but.... that kind-of defeats the whole purpose of the event in the first place.... {heeheehee!!!}

So if you have seen something in my shops that you absolutely love and can't live without, let me know, and I will give you a good deal.  In the mean time:  my website will continue, as I will keep posting about my creative projects.  Can't just turn off my creative spirit....!!!!

Have a great day! 
Marijke

p.s.  posting some photo's of some of the fun displays from the Vintage Market....
Au revoir!

Look at this COOL vintage locker! 

Wouldn't it be a GREAT storage cabinet for your fabrics in your sewing room?  Super cute, right...?
That's kinda what fabric designer Leah Duncan thought.
Look at the awesome way she stores her unique prints in the photo below.
Leah and her fun prints were featured in Country Living Magazine, April 2012 {page 24}

• Picture to the left was taken on my very own porch....
• Picture below is from Country Living Magazine....

My nephew is leaving for his mission today.  What a thrilling day.....
He was called to serve in England....
We are so SUPER excited for him!  So proud for his willingness to take a two year break out of his fun-filled and exciting young life to serve the Lord.....

Wishing him all the luck in the world.  Our thoughts and prayers go with him.

Linking up to Flashback Friday

Here you have it:  a Scandinavian flag.  So fun, painted onto a little nightstand or end-table with two drawers that have an angled (sloped) front.  The flag of Sweden

Well, it was about time I made a little dresser in honor of my husband's parents:  they are serving a mission as we speak in Sweden.  They send us regular emails and are having the time of their lives....

The Swedish flag is so festively bright with an awesome simple design:  a Scandinavian cross made of blue and golden yellow.  I love it....
Hmm, do those colors kinda remind you of IKEA....????
Yep!  IKEA is from Sweden and proud of it......!!

The Scandinavians are awesome and creative designers and out of the box thinkers.
Lots of fun designs and designers from there....