Keeping It Simple

The newest arrival.  I love the pedestal base and the crown-look finial on the top.

I picked up a trailing look garland at Hobby Lobby.  I was actually looking for a boxwood garland, but they didn’t have one {that day anyway}.  I also picked up these two small grapevine wreaths.  They came two to a pack.

I wanted to use the garland to make something like this for my new pedestal cloche, which I saw over at Shabby Story and pinned to my Pinterest boards.

Simple.  Here it is with a nest and eggs grouping that I ordered a couple of months ago {either from Décor Steals or Antique Farmhouse}.

I love how some pieces hang down longer than others.  Some of the really long ones I wrapped around the circle I made to sit on the pedestal.

This piece is 31 inches tall! 

I love how the finial on the top looks like a crown.

One of the grapevine wreaths hangs off the top with a tag and some burlap garland. 

I attached the garland pieces to the grapevine with some green wire, since hot glue seemed to be melting the garland.

I just added some twine and hung the other one off the lampshade finial on this lamp.  I love the way it looks against this linen look shade and combines the elements of the birds nest, the moss balls underneath it, and the faux potted daffodils. 

Very nature-inspired looking, especially when you expand that view and take in my egg prints above.

{That air purifier on the side of the chest will not be there long}.  So sometimes simple is the way to go.  These pieces are enough for me exactly as they are.

Oh, and the reason I went to Hobby Lobby in the first place was to see if they got in more of that fabric for my sunroom valances.  They did! So I picked up more yardage and hope to get started on those soon.   

The New Closet Light Is Up!

Saturday my hubby had been up early. Thanks to me apparently, tossing and turning.  So by 7:15, he was looking for something to do.  I told him he could hang the new light in the closet. {It’s only been sitting on the master bedroom floor for a month now}.   So he did.

If you remember, I found this light at Lowe’s in the clearance section for $10.00.  It was their display model.  I fell in love with it when I saw it over at Courtney’s home office.  Here it is in our closet!

The good thing about taking pictures for a blog is that it forces you to clean up areas that you keep putting off or forgetting about.   That was the case here.  I had to clear off that shelf area a bit before I took these pictures. 

Loving this new light!  So much nicer than the builder’s light and the new one actually provides more light.

 

Technorati Tags: closet lighting,pendant lights

My New Cart

Now that we’re living in Ohio ~ land of antique fairs and flea markets ~ I knew I would have to get a cart to hold all the goodies I find.  I was looking at fold-up metal ones until I came across this one by chance on the Joann’s website.  Edited: Here is the link in case you can’t find it.

A vendor at the Springfield Fair in May was selling one {darker} just like it for $80.00!  With no liner.  This was on sale at the Joann’s website for $23.99!  It’s even less as I write this ~ $15.99! With the liner.  It comes in natural and white. 

Well, it’s going to need a ruffle.  I don’t understand why they couldn’t see that.  Their fabric would not have been my first choice, but hey ~ it’s a liner and until I make my own it will do.   So I went to Joann’s and got the package of pre-ruffled fabric.

Three of them to a package with coordinating colors.  I thought this one went best with the existing liner fabric.

I pinned two of the ruffles to see my placement. 

Since they are all the same size, staggering would be necessary to see all three of them.   With that figured out, I removed the second one and finished pinning the first one on.  Then sewed it on, proceeding on with the second and third ruffles.

I think she’s a heck of a lot cuter now!

For the liner I want to make for it, I think dropcloth may be the perfect material to use and maybe one nice floppy looking ruffle. Plus, I think the dropcloth will be a little stronger than the thin cotton they used on theirs.  

I’m thinking of painting the cart as well.  Laurie from Heaven’s Walk got the same basket and painted hers in ASCP French Linen and that was what I was thinking of using!  Mainly because that is what I have on my shelf.  It was great to see what it looked like before I took the plunge myself.  You can see Laurie’s here.

My thoughts ~ the liner that comes with it is just open to the bottom and is a very thin cotton fabric. The wheel component was a bit difficult to attach {it comes shipped unattached from the cart} because you have to have an arm inside the cart to grab the screw while putting the nut on the outside bottom. Probably better with two people doing this ~ I did it on my own. Finally, it was missing a couple of the nuts, although I had one or two extra washers.  Overall, the phrase “ you get what you pay for” came to mind.

Linking up with

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Sizzle Into Summer at DIY by Design

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at Stone Gable

Shabbilicious Friday at Shabby Art Boutique

Air Your Laundry Friday at Freckled Laundry

Technorati Tags: willow shopping cart,shopping cart,willow cart,French market cart

Fashion Refashion

I very rarely do fashion posts, but before you run away, I think you could take the idea from this sewing project and use it in your home décor projects in some way.  I’ve wanted a ruffled jean skirt for awhile now and haven’t been able to find one.  This fashion refashion started with three skirts from Goodwill.  One short jean skirt, a coral colored floral with two ruffles, and a solid black with one ruffle.

I cut the ruffles off the two skirts, leaving a little extra fabric for attaching to the jean skirt.  I layered each on, starting with the longest ruffle, then did the middle, then the shorter top ruffle.  I just did basic sewing for the first two ruffles and then on the top and final ruffle I did a decorative stitch.

I found this one on my sewing machine and I thought it finished the top off nicely.  It is the one to the far left {looks like a black background}.

Of course, I had to try it on and model it for you!  We don’t have a full length mirror here, so I had to ask hubby to take these shots for me.   I would not wear this top with this skirt.  I just changed into the skirt quick for these pictures.

Such a great little skirt now!  The jean skirt before the ruffles hit about mid-thigh.  A little more leg than I want to show at 48, so the ruffles gave me the added length, as well as the cuteness.

So now, think towels, tablecloths, runners, footstools, etc.   You could make so many things with ruffles from clothing, whether it’s something you already own that is ready to be gotten rid of or something from the thrift store.   For less than $5.00 I got a ruffled jean skirt!

Linking up with

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Trash 2 Treasure at Kammy’s Korner

Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence

Air Your Laundry Friday at Freckled Laundry

Technorati Tags: Making a ruffled jean skirt,jean skirt refashion,adding ruffle to a jean skirt.

Salvaging A Failure

I wanted to make a little cushion for the chair on that set I redid here for my granddaughter.  I found I had a “mistreatment” valance that I had made for our powder room in our old house that I kept. 

I don’t know what I did ~ whether I sewed the scrap instead of the correct cut piece.  Who knows.  Anyway, this was the size I wound up with and you can see this obviously does not fit the seat properly.

The save comes into play thanks to Lynne from Lynne’s Gifts From The Heart, who just shared a pincushion she redid recently by updating the fabric.  I already had the piece sewed on three sides, so I continued stuffing it and closed it off.  I then used some of the trim that was part of that old valance {to hide the seam I sewed across to close it}, and attached it with hot glue. 

Now I’ve got a second pincushion that I can keep on the other side of my machine as I’m removing straight pins while sewing.

Thanks, Lynne! You helped me to not have yet another piece of fabric to toss on the side and I think this will definitely come in handy. 

And, I still have enough of that valance fabric to try again.  Maybe this time I can get it right! 

Flower Bucket Redo

I had this project on my “to do” list but it kept getting pushed down.  A flower bucket that I had received with some flowers awhile ago and I painted it pink the first time around {it was originally brown}.  

I decided to repaint it and used the Rustoleum Aluminum spray paint that I already had.   

Too shiny, so I drybrushed some Antique White craft paint on it.

Which kind of gives it an oxidized look.

Then I used a new stencil I got and stenciled “No. 6” using this French script stencil set onto a strip of Osnaberg fabric.  I sewed around the image and frayed the edges a little bit.

I attached it to the flower bucket with a spray adhesive.

I’m liking it much better now!

I made up a few extra of these stenciled fabric strips and put them in my Etsy, so you could make up your own accessories with them.

Linking up with

Trash 2 Treasure at Kammy’s Korner