Christmas swap gifts and painting crates...

This is my first year as a blogger and I'm delighted I can take part in swaps like Lakotas Christmas Swap at Faith Hope and Charity Shopping. Thank you Lakota!

My swap partner was Julie from ShabbyChic and I received these in the post...

Squillions of pressies! All beautifully wrapped!
Now not having done this before, I wasn't sure what the protocol is regarding when you are allowed to open your pressies. So I pondered that for about ooh, sixty seconds then unwrapped them all!

And here's the stash...

I got a beautiful white wicker heart which will look great anywhere in this house! A teeny tiny hand knitted 'Frosty the snowman' for the tree (but it's since been nicked by my daughter!), a little Scottie dog filled with delicious smells, a hand crocheted corsage brooch (just gorgeous, it's even been crocheted with strips of fabric with the wool!) and a calico bag containing pretty Laura Ashley fabrics, stuffing, pot pourri, buttons and trimmings so that I can make my own creation!

A huge thank you to Julie for her kind gifts! I hope my parcel will reach her very soon, but the upheaval caused by being re floored meant I was a bit delayed in getting to the post office.

{Unfortunately I didn't photograph  the gifts I sent to Julie as I assumed she would blog about them herself. (she hasn't) I'll tell you what they were. A box filled with vintage glass baubles, a new box of glass baubles shaped like cupcakes, a hand crocheted (not by me) nativity set, some handmade soap from Hitchin Lavender and  a Cath Kidston i pod case. I think that was it...I hope she liked them...}

Today I should have been sorting out the dining room which is a total pigsty. Boring!
I did something else instead.

Remember the poinsettia in a crate that is living halfway up the stairs?
I thought the crate needed a little something...

So after extensive research and setting my poor husband to work on the computer ( I am a total technophobe and would be lost without him!) we came up with this...

 Top tip 1: If you try this use blackboard paint! I started with a black permanent marker pen and it bled  into the wood. See the splodge under the E where I tried to get it off with nail varnish remover? I found a tiny tin of blackboard paint in the garage left over from this and it was perfect, giving an authentic matt look and covering with one coat. 

The sky's the limit as far as these crates go. If like me you have lusted after groovy old Coca Cola crates on ebay but you can't afford them, you can just copy them! I'm certainly on the lookout now for plain old crates to paint!

Top tip 2: Marry a man who knows his stuff on a computer!

Linking with Family Home and Life 
and From My Front Porch To Yours
and The Rosegarden in Malevik
and Funky Junk Interiors SNS
and Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping