Lamp Shade Redo~ Old French Writing

I was recently perusing the latest Ballard Designs catalog and fell in love with this lamp:

And then there are these gorgeous gems at Pottery Barn

 

and then, by great coincidence I found this wonderful blog Beauty In The Attempt and her fabulous knock-off and knew I had to try to make my own.  

So we begin with some digital scrapbooking files I already had of old French writing and postmarks.  I downloaded the Bryon font mentioned in the blog above and used some other cool fonts like Chopin Script and made my design.  Then off to Staples to have it blown up to 18x24.

I then traced a pattern on some wrapping paper so I would make sure I had a good fit before cutting my actual design.  I found a great resource HERE  for how to draw a pattern for a lamp shade.  This was the hard part!

So I cut traced and cut and trimmed and finally glued just the seam and waalaa:

 

I spent $1.00 for the shade at thrift store, $1.99 for enlarged copy at Staples and the lamp is, again, from my former life selling home decor.  It was gold, I spray painted it white.  Final cost ~ under $3.00 for a beautiful, shabby lamp that I adore!

Thanks for visiting and please consider becoming a follower.  I would be thrilled!

Chalkboard

I had fun last week making a beautiful chalkboard for my kitchen.  If you've never tried the Chalkboard paint, go get some today!  You can make anything a chalkboard.  It's available in spray and cans.

I started with this picture.

The dimensions are about 16x20.  I got it for a dollar at a thrift store.  I loved the frame.  Here's a close up of the detailing, really pretty.

I saved the botanical print that was in it, who knows what it will end up as!   First step is removing the glass.  I am using this paint, about $3.99 at the hardware store. (sorry for the blurry pic)

I took my glass outside and gave it 3 coats of paint a few minutes apart.  It dries really fast.  Here is the finished piece.

Another very cool find are these chalkboard ink markers.  Easy to write with and they wipe off with a damp cloth.  They can write on glass, metal, etc..  About $10 at Michaels's, but of course I had a 50% off coupon!!

You can truly make a chalkboard on anything~ a children's tabletop, a sign, a platter, a cookie sheet (then it will be a magnetic chalkboard!!), the possibilites are endless!   Maddy begged me to let her spray the back of her bedroom door, making it into a huge chalkboard.  Ummmm, NO!  She had to settle for a picture frame.  Whatever crafty things she sees me doing she is now wanting to try, it's fun. 

Thanks for looking and make my day, leave a comment below!

Transformed Timepiece

I am so excited to share this project with you!  I am in love with the results.

We start with this lovely clock, which I got for FREE!  As some of you know, I used to sell Home Decor.  This clock was delivered with a broken glass face on one side.  I ordered the customer a replacement but instead of throwing it away, I just broke out the glass on the other side and kept it!  (Who would know it was supposed to have glass anyway!)  I've had it up for about 5 years, but the brown just wasn't working in my new room. 

So I removed the hands and went to work.   First I sprayed it with Rustoleum's Heirloom White (known to some as Heaven's own color).  It's not a pure white but not quite a cream~ just the perfect shade of white!

The I got on the computer and searched google images for some 'Frenchy', Shabby clock ideas.  Found some designs I like and then searched for a French dingbat font.  Found this one  HERE   at FONTS101 that I love!!!  FREE, of course!  So I played around and came up with my design, distressed it up a bit with filters in the software and printed out on a cardstock color that matched my Heirloom white. 

After cutting out my design, I covered the clockface and replaced the hands.  The result is this beautiful 2 sided clock!





Clocks are a very easy to transform.  Just pop off the hands, make a new face, paint as necessary and you'll have a new treasure.  Ikea is a great source for funky clocks and I  also find very unique ones at the thrift store all the time.  So, keep your eyes peeled for that perfect candidate for transformation when you hit the stores, flea markets and garage sales.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you'll consider becoming a follower and comments are are always appreciated!

Christmas Gift Idea~ Dessert Stands & Cake Plates

I found this great idea last fall and had intended to make some for Christmas gifts, but ended up doing jams and Caramel in a Can instead.  But I love the idea so much and finally got around to it.  This will be my gifts for my co-workers this year and I love that I can use plates that reflect their taste, favorite color, etc..!

The Cast of Characters:  A lovely dinner plate, a coordinating candle stick or vase, E6000 glue, and that's it!!

I received this pretty plate filled with yummy Christmas treats a couple of years ago from one of my darling daughters.  The candlestick I picked up at Goodwill for 99 cents.  Look for flat bottomed plates and candlesticks. The E6000 glue has a million uses, at about $5 a tube it will last you for years and dozens of projects.  It is great for metal, glass, plastic, anything difficult to glue!

Turn your plate over and line the candle stick up with the center.  Mark lightly with a few dots of sharpie or pencil where you'll be placing the candlestick.   Now put a line of glue on the candlestick top surface.   Put a second line on the circle you marked where you'll put the candle stick.  Allow the 2 pieces to 'cure' for 2-8 minutes.  Then join up the pieces, pressing together firmly.  Allow to dry for 24-72 hours.  Handwash and dry as needed.

You can use funky plates, elegant plates, crystal, really any type of plate.  You can paint the candle stick to match or use one like I did that coordinates.  Wood, glass or metal candlesticks or flat topped bud vases work well. 

Thanks for looking and I would be THRILLED if you'd leave a comment on the blog!

Fall Nesting

I LOVE Autumn!  It is my favorite season and what's not to love?  Crisp, cool afternoons, fall foilage, apple season, pumpkin bars, Thanksgiving and of course it leads us right into Christmas!

I especially enjoy decorating for fall.  Since I used to sell home decor I am blessed to have a lot of great items to pull out every year.  

First we have the entryway table with the bean pot and a pumpkin wreath:

Then the front door with this wreath that I absolutely adore!  It has a little bit of sparkle and rich colors.

Then in the living room I did the mantle with some autumn berry garland and a garland with faux candy corn.  Fun!  In the fireplace I have Pumpkin Spice coffee beans in the little candle cups.  The heat from the tealights warms them sending out a heavenly fragrance!  Did you know that coffee is a very welcoming scent as is anything with cinnamon?  When guests or your family enter your home to these fragrances it creates a very warm, welcoming ambiance.  It smelled so wonderful I had to go make a fresh pot of coffee!

Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment, they make my day!    To see lots of great Fall Decor click HERE

Project #2 ~ French Market Pillows

Pillows and wall décor made of old French grain sacks and burlap have been really popular for awhile now on the home dec scene. I love the look and decided to make a couple of faux burlap pillows for my sofa.

I found about 2 yards of white linen at Goodwill for 99 cents. It was a little too 'white' for the look I wanted so I brewed up some tea and soaked it for a few minutes and it gave it just a slight aged tint. Perfect! After drying and pressing the fabric I took an 8x8 inch square and taped it down around all sides on a piece of 8 .5 x11 card stock. I headed to google for some ideas about what I wanted to say and came up with some French wording and graphics, a crown and some swirls. I made up my designs and distressed them a bit in MS Digital Image Pro. (Love that program!) First I printed them on paper to check alignment, etc. then sent the fabric through the printer on the cardstock and it printed beautifully.

 

Next I took my printed squares and pinned then stitched to my pillow pieces. I used a 'fagoting' stitch on my machine (which I had no idea what it was for!) in black and it looked really decorative. I left the edges of the squares unfinished and I think it gives them a shabby, vintage look.

The last step was to sew the pillow pieces together and stuff.  I stuffed lightly and left them looking a bit irregular, again going for the shabby look.   I really love the finished results and can't wait to try more printing on fabric!:

Thanks for looking and come back soon for my next project!

The Creative Process

I have always loved home décor. Whether it's doing a faux finish on the walls or sewing pillows~ browsing antique and thrift stores for treasures, making some crafty thing out of unusual items, I love it all. But as seasons in life change, sometimes we let the things we really love slip away. I lost my zest and my creative juices all but dried up. I did a project here and there but nothing like I used to.


Thanks to a few very creative women I have met recently and some amazing blogs I have stumbled across, I have rediscovered that passion for feathering my nest and I decided to blog my projects and finds.

I hope you'll bookmark my blog and visit often. I have so many things I want to try. Here's my first project:

I found this lovely little bench at a garage sale over a year ago. I could see it's potential and had to have it. I think the lady was asking $20 for it and I haggled her down to $10. Then, like I mentioned above, life was busy and I just never seemed to get going on the project. It has been sitting in the garage ever since I brought it home. Last week I finally decided to go for it.

It was in bad shape. It had once been white but was now yellowing, had chipped paint and a hideous seat covering of orange, green and brown TWEED! So I got to work, sanding it down, but not completely smooth, I wanted a bit of a distressed look.  I painted it with a satiny white then covered it with this gorgeous green and white print. I LOVE IT!!!! I love the graceful curve of the arms and the little embellishment on the seat back. I just wish I would have taken some 'before' pics. Next time!

Come back soon, I already have my next project done~ French Market pillows!