Monday, November 6, 2017

Leaf Table Runner-Quick and Thrifty!

What do you get with 4 packs of faux leaves from the Dollar Store and a length of burlap looking fabric? 

This pretty, quick and CHEAP table runner for fall!


I wanted a nice, colorful table runner but, you know me, didn't want to spend alot of money.

So I crashed my stash and found I had loads of fake silk leaves from the Dollar Store.

LOADS.

Note to self-stop buying autumn leaves from the Dollar Store.

I also found a nice length of burlap looking fabric that paired up nicely with the leaves, including some book page leaves left over from another project.

I've kind of got a thing about book page craft projects.




I plugged in my glue gun and went to town.


Man, quick and easy!!


Originally I made each end square to match the fabric.


By adding more leaves I was able to get this nice pointed shape.

I like it alot!



It looks wonderful on the bare wood of our table and also over an autumn woven table cloth.


This is my kind of fun project....quick, easy, fun, CHEAP and it looks great!

Materials needed-

Fabric for runner in the the length you wish (you could also use a Dollar Store table runner)
Fake leaves from the Dollar Store (50 to a pack so maybe 4 packs?)
Hot glue and gun
Optional-book page maple leaves (traced and cut out)

Time needed? 
An hour if you spend alot of time rearranging and fussing with the leaves. 
I say, just do it. Your table runner will thank you for it!


Saturday, August 26, 2017

Colorful Felt Pillow Covers

I make these appliqued felt pillow covers for family gifts and decor. 
I use straight stitching on my Singer and I'm not too awful picky
 about keeping everything neat and tidy. I like the texture that
 the multiple stitching gives to the thick felt and
 LOVE all the colors available. 


 Here's a gallery of my designs so far. This year I'm going to try some 
Halloween and Christmas designs, those should be fun!
It really is a simple process. Cut out the felt shapes and sew them in layers
 on your pillow fabric. You can be as neat and accurate or as abstract and casual as you prefer. 

Do you have questions about the DIY? Just ask them below and I'll answer them all!
Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Gotta Love Thrift Stores...And This Gorgeous Blue Plate!


I am a dedicated thrift store shopper and it has paid off in savings 
and truly unique finds over the years.


We got this sturdy and well built but oh-so-retro coffee table for $7.50 way back when. 
It has held up well for decades and it's latest look includes 
turquoise chalk paint and a painted top.

After a house fire we bought the Flexsteel sofa for $25 that shows in the bottom pic.
It has down filled cushions and an easy to slipcover design.
 It is now on it's fourth life, reupholstery wise, 
in chocolate brown ribbed twill.

And here's what I found today for $2.50....
a beautiful fused glass plate in shades of blue by Galvin Glass Works of New York.


As a serious cobalt blue glass fan girl, this glass plate is right up my alley.


I put together with my other thrift store finds and gifts of colored glass, 
you can see why it caught my eye.


And then I turned it over and saw this....it's engraved with a signature by the glass artist, 
Andrew Galvin. It is #1794 of 2640. I think "Oracle" is the name of this particular design
 in  his fused glass catalog.

You can bet I'll be hitting the thrift stores again and soon. 
I may not find something this stunning, but I'll keep my eyes open.
And, anyone that knows me can guess, 
I HAVE A LIST.

What is your best thrift store find? What are you looking for?


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Five Gallon Blingy Bucket Table DIY

You know the drill by now. I wanted something but didn't want to spend any money. 
In this case, a nice little side table for our front deck....just a pretty little place to put things when we're sitting out there visiting or enjoying the sun.

I knew we had to have something in all of our stuff that I could use for this project.
Heeeeyyyyy....

We have a stack of five gallon buckets in storage. Sure, they smell like pickles but 
they are free and they are also the perfect height! In this case, 13" tall.


Here is the spray paint I keep on hand for our plastic patio chairs that are still sturdy and I am too cheap to replace. Painted this beautiful turquoise blue they even
 look good. I also used this spray paint when I painted the deck rug. The link for THAT is below.


The bucket is now Lagoon blue. And soon the boards will be, too.


Pallet wood scraps, baby!
I knew if I rummaged around enough in the scrap barrel I'd find enough to cover this bucket.
Yeah, they look rough but they're scraps and they're free and it was starting to get hot....

Okay, used air nailer to attach boards to bucket. 
Easy peasy.



Checking the kitchen I found this 15" microwave plate under the counter. We've never had a microwave large enough for this plate so I must have bought it at some point,
 but hey, serendipity! Perfect for the table top I have in mind.



Yeah, I have a stash of blue gems from the Dollar Store and thrift stores and yard sales. Don't judge me, I use these all the time! Shhh, they're pretty and they're cheap and perfect for this next step.



I laid them out in different ways and decided I liked the random look. I used a caulking gun and that tube of silicone sealer and added a small cookie sized blob of silicone in each area of the plate and smooshed each glass marble into the blob, giving each one a twist to seat it. In a bit I was looking at.....


A five gallon bucket table with a blingy glass top! 

I made this photo all gauzy and glamorous on purpose. Because I'm not quite sure if the style
 of the top goes with the style of the base, even after I painted the base turquoise blue.

Hmmmmm.



Look! All's well that ends well! The silicone dries clear and makes the glass marbles look like they are surrounded by water.

This pretty little FREE table is perfect for the purpose I had in mind. With a bit
 of ingenuity and time and a bit of work, I now have a blingy blue glass table for our front deck. Not only is it FREE, but it is totally waterproof and can stay outside all year long. 

Plastic bucket.
Reclaimed pallet boards.
Silicone sealant.
Blue glass gems.
ALL totally weatherproof.

I am calling this a win win, even if I'm not completely satisfied that the top goes with the bottom. But I've got a few ideas, and a few more five gallon buckets, to try and change things up.

Stay tuned!!

Here's my second table, so pleased with it!


Here is a link to the pebble table blog post....




Saturday, March 18, 2017

Book Page Decorating Obsession

When it comes to my favorite decor material, book pages are my number one go to  solution.

I hate to get rid of my old books so using them on projects to decorate and organize my home is a great solution for me!


In my craft room I've used book pages on bankers boxes and other containers to coordinate my storage. Whenever I run across black and white gift wrap or contact paper I use them on other boxes since I really like the way the book pages and the prints complement each other.


Insanely Creative Christy restyled this $1 bathroom cabinet using dictionary pages while I was laid low by chemo. This is still one of  my favorite book page projects ever!


Of course I had to try book pages for Christmas decor and I REALLY LOVE the way the recycled pages look on the balls, snowflake garlands and "post it note" origami flowers.



And, of course, I restyled/disguised the brass and glass dining room light that The Welding Man loves so much. I'm really liking the shapes and different layers of lights in this recycled chandelier.



The Welding Man made me a wrought iron bakers rack some years ago and I decorate it all year long for the seasons. This year I made this book page wreath with a little nest in the middle for the wall above the bakers rack. I added leaves from various books, the book page covered vase and also the long legged birds. Along the edge you can see the book page leaf garland I made for this display. I love how it all comes together!



My family knows I will restyle just about anything with old book pages. I am always on the look out for vintage dictionaries that are damaged beyond use that have some wonderfully aged paper.


Here's another close look at the book page leaf garland. I really like it! Now I'm thinking that if I dyed the pages in shades of green they would make a gorgeous leaf garland. I'll have to try it!


And here's a new project......art on a book page background. I used colored pencils, paint and ink to make this tattoo design which includes most of my creative tools plus a wonderful quote from my sister.


Friday, February 24, 2017

Book Page Chandelier Lamp Shade

Here is the next chapter of the brass and glass dining room light. The Welding Man luvs it 
and  I keep decorating it and disguising it's wonderfulness.


Yes. The glass panels need cleaned.
I've used these two ideas for Christmas and Autumn.

My idea to make my own drum shade did not work out. 
Aaaargh!


 Several years back I made this book page chandelier for my craft room. 
It totally goes with the book page vibe I've used
in there for many of my storage containers.

Hmmmm.


I punched out about 400 circles from an old dictionary. 
It had water damage and was 25 cents at the thrift store. Score!




I sewed many many strings of 7 circles and hot glued them to 
a metal ring which fit the top of the hanging lamp. 

 


Oooh aaaah, I like it!



I like it alot!

This project is definitely a keeper. It cost me nothing but time and energy. I may add a few more circle strings, perhaps in a different size, and see how it looks.

But for now, I'm calling this a win win!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

DIY Wax Paper Twinkle Lantern

My idea for this lantern involved some twinkle lights a
and a pretty inside display on my bakers' rack.


I removed the candle and scrubbed it thoroughly...
 then put a string of white Christmas lights inside.


This is NOT the look I was going for. 
Even with glass marbles and beautiful sea glass filling up the bottom, 
the string of lights just looks awkward and a bit dumb.

I can't change the look of the lights but I can change
 how they look through the lantern glass.


I figured out how to frost the glass sides using crumpled up 
wax paper from the Dollar Store.

I used Mod Podge to adhere each wax paper sheet on the glass.



The wax paper makes the glass look frosted and crackled. 
I LOVE how soft the light is coming through the semi opaque glass.


Ooh aah!
Now the lights looks soft and glowing and this lantern is exactly
 what I pictured for decor on my baker's rack.
It is just right to use as a night light and as a focal point
 for each season's decor.



And here's the baker's rack all glammed up for last Christmas. 
LOVE how that lantern accents the silver and blue perfectly!

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Painted Area Rug Part 2

I used acrylic craft paint, textile medium and stencils to paint this half moon area rug on my carpet.
I really like how the colors and the stencils worked so well together!

Here's a link....





I'm kind of a color junkie so this is right up my alley. Exhibit One, here's 
the coffee table I repainted with chalk paint a couple summers ago...


I knew I'd like it as soon as I started using this stencil to put the 
turquoise curlicues on the brown and red background.


My original plan was a 2" wide turquoise border around the whole arch. Then, as I was painting it I had an "oops" moment when the bright blue paint escaped the painters tape.

Well, drat. 

So, this is how I dealt with it...by using the same curlicue 
stencil to add a sort of doily edge to the turquoise border.


No, it isn't perfectly even but I keep telling myself it has a certain bohemian charm, yes?

And yet I feel like maybe it is a giant floor doily now.

Or not. Hmmmm.



I'm kind of starting to like it.
Sort of.

And yes, I'm staring at it way too much.

.
So I added more stenciled curls in red.

Okay, I'm going to call it good and leave it be.

Also, I'm going to quit staring at it.

Book Page Christmas DIY

Most of you have figured out I am a color freak with an obsession  for turquoise, red and cobalt blue.  However, I also obsess about ...